“The highlight of my YYGS experience would be getting the chance to speak in the Speaker Series. It laid the platform for me to uphold my nationality and culture formally in front of the entire BBS Block. I shared with everyone what it meant to be a Bangladeshi in the 21st century and also shed light on the ongoing Rohingya crisis: an international crisis being borne solely by Bangladesh with minimal coverage in the West.”
His face was pale and his hands were worn out after a whole day of walking around the streets of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, politely begging for whatever money walking pedestrians could spare him. At times, his cheeks would flush red in delight at receiving some money and at other times he would look down onto his feet in disappointment when walking pedestrians would simply ignore him. A poverty stricken family with no father, a financially struggling mother and three younger siblings had compelled this boy to start begging for support.
My friend Mashrukur came across this young seven year old boy named Robi, described above, while on a photography campaign in Dhaka. He came to school the next day and talked about his encounter with Robi with us. What made it a bigger concern was the fact that it was during the month of Ramadan, a month when Muslims abstain from food and water from sunrise to sunset. It is an auspicious time for spending time with family, making memories and sharing meals together, something Robi was not being able to do. Robi’s story made us realize how as a part of the more fortunate segment of society, we must attempt to do something for the ones less fortunate than us.
This was the exact intention with which we began our student led organization that goes by the name Foundation 21. It is an independent NGO, aiming to help kids living in slums, starting from Dhaka to hopefully extending to many more places in the future. We want to promote education and necessary sanitation for a brighter and healthier future for children living under great hardships in slums.
Our first project was organized during the Ramadan of 2018, in June, when our team consisting of a handful of my classmates and I distributed snacks, drinks, school supplies and books to 120 children at Chinnomul Shishu Kallan Shangsta, a school for underprivileged children were Robi used to study. This was done in a slum in Uttara, in the outskirts of Dhaka. The moments we shared with them were priceless. Having conversed with them, we broke the ice and made full use of our time. The bond we fostered in a matter of a few hours was so strong that they clenched onto us, refusing to let go of us when it was time to leave.
Foundation 21 was an idea of a few high schoolers. An idea for youth to come together and contribute actively in something big. We wanted to touch lives, fix unfixed problems and help begin a chain of good deeds. Today, the idea has manifested into reality. Foundation 21 is blessed with a very hardworking, dedicated and talented group of individuals. As we grow and diversify as an organization, we hope to have a larger impact on the society, not only on a national scale but one day hopefully on an international scale as well.