Bangladeshi Couple Invited to Google’s ‘Connect Live Singapore 2026’

Google Local Guides will host Connect Live Singapore 2026, one of the largest international gatherings of the Google Maps community, from July 29 to August 1, 2026, in Singapore. The event will bring together 65 selected Google Maps contributors and Googlers from around the world.

Among the invitees are Malaysian-based Bangladeshi couple Pavel Sarwar and Sumaiya Zafrin Chowdhury, who have each received individual invitations to participate. Google is covering all event-related expenses, including travel, accommodation, meals and visa processing.

Connect Live is a prestigious international event for the Google Maps and Local Guides community. Participants will gain insights into the latest Google Maps features, technology updates and future plans while engaging directly with Google teams and experienced contributors from different countries.

Google Local Guides is a global volunteer community where contributors improve Google Maps by adding new places, updating information, writing reviews, and uploading photos and videos.

Pavel Sarwar and Sumaiya Zafrin Chowdhury have been active members of the community for many years and have earned significant international recognition.

In 2017, Pavel attended the Local Guides Summit 2017 at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, upon invitation from Google. He was later featured on the official Google Local Guides YouTube channel. In 2021, he received the Guiding Stars Award in the Community Builder category and later participated in Connect Live Tokyo 2025.

Sumaiya received the Guiding Stars Award in the Helpful Hero category in 2020 and also served as a Google Local Guides Connect Moderator. She represented Bangladesh at the Local Guides Summit and Connect Live events held in the United States between 2016 and 2019. She also participated in the Connect Moderator Conversation in Tokyo in 2023 and Connect Live Tokyo 2025.

Google Local Guides has featured the couple several times over the years. In 2017, Sumaiya was highlighted as one of the community's "Inspiring Women" for International Women's Day. In 2018, the platform published a Valentine's Day feature titled "Meet the Couple That Guides Together." Their contributions have also been highlighted during subsequent Valentine's Day and Bengali New Year celebrations.

Currently based in Malaysia, Pavel Sarwar is an information technology and fintech professional, a Google Certified Educator, and a trainer. Sumaiya Zafrin Chowdhury is a Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) practitioner and is currently conducting research on learning disabilities in Malaysia.

Beyond their contributions to Google Maps, the couple leads the Google Educator Group Seremban in Malaysia and is actively involved in technology, education, youth empowerment and social development initiatives in both Bangladesh and Malaysia. They founded Youth Hub Foundation Berhad in Malaysia and Youth Connect Foundation in Bangladesh.

Their selection for Connect Live Singapore 2026 is being viewed as another significant recognition of the continued global contributions of Bangladeshi members within the Google Maps and Local Guides community.
//DBTech/PSP/SME//