Ensuring youth involvement in community development

Nishonkoch Foundation started their journey in December 2016. They strive to ensure youth involvement in social development and accessibility to quality education. The organisation was formed as a New Year's resolution by Mohammad Fahim, a student of North South University (NSU), and his friends.

Their annual projects include an event called 'Education For All', during which they distribute school supplies among underprivileged students. Their environmental project, 'TrashTag Challenge', is a daylong drive inviting young volunteers to clean up the streets and raise awareness about cleanliness. 'Spirit of Ramadan' is the organisation's flagship event, during which they distribute food packages to underprivileged communities in the month of Ramadan. They also conduct a street food hygiene campaign, to encourage vendors to serve food after maintaining hygiene protocols. "Being able to bring smiles to people's faces is the best part of our work. They inspire us to keep working," said Shakir Ahmed, Co-founder of Nishonkoch Foundation and a student of NSU. Every year, the team celebrates their founding anniversary with underprivileged kids.

Nishonkoch Foundation carried out a number of distribution drives during the pandemic. They distributed leaflets and soaps among slum dwellers, to generate awareness about the spread of the coronavirus disease. Furthermore, they distributed 500 packages of monthlong groceries for those in need during Ramadan and arranged meals for more than 2,000 individuals on Eid.

Volunteers distributing food packages during ‘Spirit of Ramadan’, earlier this year.

In the future, the foundation plans to establish a digital lab in the city to facilitate technological education for underprivileged children. "We also want to conduct basic English spoken courses for people of all ages," concluded Fahim.