Kalidas Roy, Sathy Aktar honoured with the IVD Bangladesh Volunteer Award

Kalidas Roy and Sathy Aktar have been honoured with the IVD Bangladesh Volunteer Award 2020 for their outstanding voluntary activities to help the community and the government to tackle the spread of Covid-19.

Action Aid Bangladesh young volunteer Kalidas Roy is from Nilphamari while Sathy Aktar is from Kushtia, according to a press release.

They are among the 15 young volunteers who have been given the award, selected from 406 contestants across the country.

Placing 4th among the 15 volunteers, Kalidas Roy earned a certificate, a medal, a crest, and Tk 30,000 prize money while 7th among the 15, Sathy Aktar has been awarded a certificate, a medal, and a crest.

The awards were given on Saturday on the occasion of the International Volunteer Day, in an event titled "Volunteering for Achieving SDGs in Bangladesh," organized jointly by the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, Department of Youth Development, Ministry of Youth and Sports, WaterAid and UNV Bangladesh.

"Volunteer for Covid-19 Response and Recovery" was the theme for the award this year.

Being a member of ActionAid-supported youth group, Ogrogami Jubo Foundation, Kalidas Roy played a key role in mobilizing young volunteers and supporting government initiatives in Nilphamari to curb the spread of coronavirus.

He and his fellow-volunteers used digital tools and physical settings to promote knowledge and practices about health and hygiene in the community to stem the spread of coronavirus.

Sathy Akter and her fellow volunteers from another ActionAid-supported youth group, Ideal Youth Union, in Kushtia came up to support the community to fight coronavirus through the distribution of food and safety equipment, spraying disinfectant in public places and neighbourhoods, setting up hand washing points, and promoting health and hygiene practices by raising community awareness through online and offline tools.

Besides, two AAB-supported youth organizations from Kushtia, Shopno Proyash Jubo Songstha and Ideal Youth Union, received the Volunteer for Bangladesh Award 2020 for their outstanding Covid-19 response.