YES Alumni Bangladesh feeds 255 families

YES Alumni Bangladesh, a youth organization for community service, provided one week’s worth of rations to 255 families under their Project Ramadan 6.0.

Donations were given to families in Shaheenbag of Tejgaon, Kaderabad Housing in Mohammadpur, and in Golgotha English Medium School, Motijheel while maintaining all health safety guidelines on Monday.

Initially, the goal was to provide 100 families with rations. However, the donations received by the end of the campaign exceeded the expectations which allowed the organizers to provide rations to 255 families, impacting more than 1000 people. 

YES Alumni Bangladesh consists of Bangladeshi scholars who have successfully completed the US Department of State’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (K-L YES) Program.

The main aim of the association is to render services to the community through projects like Project Ramadan, which aims to help disadvantaged people by collecting donations from the general public. This was the sixth iteration of the annual project. 

This year, YES Alumni Bangladesh organized an online fundraising campaign throughout the month of Ramadan. 

Two other YES Alumni Bangladesh projects, “Project Querencia” and “Designing Workshop,” were also organized to raise funds for Project Ramadan 6.0. 

YES Alumni Bangladesh members who donated ration among the poor under Project Ramandan on May 11, 2021 Courtesy

Donations were received from the US and Australia in addition to Bangladesh.

Close to Tk1.5 lakh was raised in funds, and it was used to purchase essential items such as rice, pulse, cooking oil, salt, sugar, potatoes, and vermicelli. 

When asked about the current situation and how the rations will help her, Anowara Begum, 29,  a recipient of the ration replied: “The situation is dire. My father’s shop was closed and my mother cannot see. I am the only earner of the family. These rations will help a lot to keep us going.”

Siraj, 60, a recipient from Golapbag, Motijheel commented: “Since the lockdown started my earning as a rickshaw puller has drastically reduced. These rations will help me a lot moving forward.”

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Project Ramadan 6.0 was coordinated by Zumara Marjan, 19, Rubaiyet Islam, 19, and Fayad Khan, 18, who completed the YES Program in the 2018-2019 academic year.

When asked about the future of this project, the coordinators expressed a hope to inspire others to do their part for the betterment of the community. They believe that even a small act of kindness can go a long way during these difficult times.

The goal for this project was to make sure that during difficult times like these, especially with the pandemic and the lockdown, those who have lost their jobs or are unable to work from home, do not have to go to bed with an empty stomach.