Friendship founder Runa Khan recounts the 25-year-old partnership at an exclusive event in Dhaka hosted by Unilever Bangladesh.
By Iffat Ara Sharmeen,
3 September, 2025
Unilever Bangladesh was recently recognised as the ‘Most Sustainable Company of the Year’ at the SDG Brand Champions Award 2025, receiving the highest number of awards across various categories. This achievement was celebrated in an event titled ‘Shohojatra: Co-creating Impact’, on 31 August 2025 in Dhaka. As a long-term partner, Friendship founder Runa Khan was invited to speak about Friendship and Unilever’s shared journey over the years.
[An abridged version of Runa’s tribute to Unilever at the event is present below.]
‘Each life matters’ was at the heart when Friendship started its journey to try and bring healthcare to the doorsteps of the intra-migrant communities of the chars 25 years ago. An unusual partner emerged—not medical companies or development agencies, but a consumer goods company which believed in people’s ability; and that dreams stemming from compassion can become a reality.
The char dwellers were the most isolated and unaddressed of the people in our country. Their homes, the very land they stood on were swept away by erosions year after year. Healthcare, education, electricity, structured agriculture, or the ability to repay loans were far away from their expectations, but their sufferings were not lessened because hope disintegrated every year.
Who believed that, in a country with such an immense number of humanitarian organisations, a simple logical solution for healthcare brought through a ship hospital would be a workable solution? Friendship and Unilever did—and so did Mother Theresa who blessed the dream in 1995. In December 1999, Unilever came forward to sponsor this ‘impossible dream’. Jeff Fraser, Sanjeev Mehta and dear Zaved, were those who believed the impossible to be possible, and together the journey of Lifebuoy Friendship Hospital (LFH) started. Boktar Char, in Dhaka saw patients queuing for ten hours to receive care on its first day of sailing.
Starting from a team of 18 medical, administrative, and technical crew treating 80 patients a day, LFH has served more than 800,000 patients, with over 1.3 million medical services, life-changing surgeries, hosting 30 to 35 national and international health teams annually.
As we started our work, our partnership with Unilever strengthened our credibility and visibility. Many, even in the chars of course, had heard of the Lifebuoy brand. LFH co-branding brought instant trust, credibility, visibility and faith. Acceptance is hard-earned in such areas. One needed to ensure quality dependability, hygiene, and reliability. The Lifebuoy logo on the ship – became a symbol of hope that this service was here to stay.
Our partnership expanded into other areas, like distribution of relief both during climate crises and political crises as the Rohingya came into Bangladesh. True partnership is not only about funding. It is about shared beliefs, shared risks, respect, and trust. LFH laid the foundation for Friendship’s broader health programme, from one ship to seven ships, 750 satellite clinics, 800+ FCMs to ensure continuance of healthcare when the ships moved, all linked with a mobile app for quality services and better integration.
Today, Friendship’s three-tier healthcare system has transitioned into the public system through five new ships. 10% of the people of Bangladesh have received direct care across the country. Transformative changes to our millions who need them cannot be made alone by any one organisation. Together, however, we can bring opportunity and justice to the frontliners of climate impact, through a comprehensive model of dignity-driven development.
Our systems, each tried and replicated over millions, can bring changes to lives in hard-to-reach geographies, nationally and globally. The LFH is a floating metaphor of what becomes possible when business, compassion, and courage move together. The poor cannot afford poor solutions. We need to work with quality and dependability year after year to a point of co-creation and acceleration, so systemic change happens.
The LFH embodies the theme of Shohojatra—”Journey Together”, of true partnership, trust and respect, bringing dignity and hope to some of those people of the planet who need it the most. Thank you Zaved and Unilever for your trust and cooperation.
