Volunteers can change Bangladesh
Atif Asad is a young man from Hasra Majalia village in Sarisabari upazila of Jamalpur district. He joined a discussion on the occasion of ‘Swecchaseba Sommanona-2020’ in Mymensingh on Friday.
Atif said he is from a poor family. In addition to his studies, Atif works with his father. But he has built a public library for everyone. At the outset he used to deliver books from door to door. Then he set up the library at a room of his home. People in the village can sit here and read books without spending any money. The young man dreams of enlightening people of every village in Bangladesh.
After the speech of Atif Asad, everyone present at the call of Mymensingh Bondhushova’s organisational secretory Diba Sarkar stood up and clapped for him.
It has become a competition to encourage each other’s voluntary works at VSO-Prothom Alo Swecchaseba Sommanona Meeting.
The VSO-Prothom Alo Swecchaseba Sommanona-2020 Meeting was held at Shaheed Shahabuddin Auditorium of Mymensingh City Corporation in the afternoon.
Apart from the representatives of at least 20 voluntary organisations working in Mymensingh, about 50 people from different professions including teachers and poets attended the meeting.
Prothom Alo’s Mymensingh correspondent Kamran Parvez gave the welcome speech at the meeting that was conducted by Mymensingh Bondhushova general secretary Sahida Soni.
Nasima Akhter, head teacher of Bidyamoyi Government Girls High School said, “I think of the country. So outside of my professional tasks, I’ve been doing different types of voluntary works. When I started my teaching career, I saw starved children coming to a school. I arranged food for them from a local hotel. Though I earn small, I believe will-power is enough to be a volunteer. The new generation of volunteers could change Bangladesh one day.”
Sayed Raihan Uddin, head teacher of Agricultural University High School, recalled of establishing a Shaheed Minar through voluntary works when he was a student. He also encouraged the young people describing how he and a few others established a school through voluntary works after joining as a teacher.
Volunteer Ali Yusuf said, “Those who took part in our great war of liberation were volunteers because none of them participated in the war for money. The present generation of volunteers is the freedom fighters of this era.”
Sanawar Hossain, who voluntarily donated blood for 59 times, told his story at the meeting.
Besides, Matiur Rahman Faisal, regional coordinator of BD Clean Mymensingh, environmental activist Deepak Chandra Das also known as Tree Man, poet Shamim Ashraf, Arafat Rilke, former general secretary of Mymensingh Bondhushova Nahid Mandal, Mymensingh Bondhushova president Abul Bashar and many others addressed the programme.
Speakers said people of the younger generation have been doing a lot of important works voluntarily in Bangladesh. Especially in Mymensingh, there are many voluntary organisations and activists. They have been cleaning roadside garbage, donating blood and even providing information online. Volunteers never work for rewards. Nevertheless, the VSO-Prothom Alo has organised honors for volunteers. That's good news for everyone.
In the meeting, delegates were also told how to nominate volunteers. Specific nomination forms are provided for the participating individuals and organisations.