Celebrating Victory Through Volunteerism
On 16 December 2010, the biggest int’l campaign of its kind was conducted with the slogan of ‘সেবার মাধ্যমে বিজয়ের প্রকাশ’ (Celebrating Victory through Volunteerism). The concept originated from the idea of honouring the spirit of the freedom fighters by doing at least one act of voluntary service for Bangladesh.
সেবার মাধ্যমে বিজয়ের প্রকাশ was first held on 16th December 2009 with the successful participation of over 40 organisations, and is being held for the second time this year with the massive participation of over 70 organisations.
After all, the freedom fighters voluntarily did what was most important for the country at that time so we should also voluntarily do what is most important for the country at this time.
On December 16, small acts of charity from organizations, corporations, schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, shops and media outlets from all over Bangladesh and abroad commemorated the spirit of the freedom fighters with actions and not just with hollow words and songs. It dreamt of giving us victory over the many difficulties we face today such as poverty, illiteracy if only we all united for one cause of seeing a positive and prosperous Bangladesh.
Some of the many participating organizations are:
Akij Group, Labaid Group, Bishsho Shahityo Kendro, Anwar group of industries, 1° Initiative, CommunityAction and Bangladesh Youth Environmental Inititative (BYEI). On the international front, students in many universities of USA, UK, Australia and Germany have pledged to raise funds for charities here and raise awareness about tourism in Bangladesh.
CommunityAction, 1 degree initiative and Bangladesh Youth Environment Initiative, along with various other organizations, are arranging a campaign called “সেবার মাধ্যমে বিজয়ের প্রকাশ” (Celebrating Victory Through Volunteerism). Since the freedom fighters voluntarily did what was most important for the country at that time, the campaign calls for all participating groups to voluntarily do something for the country at this time. And beyond all expectations, over 40 nat’l and int’l organizations answered our call last year!
From well established corporate houses like Adcomm and Labaid to educational institutes like IBA and UIU, from student organization AEISEC to blood donation heroes Sandhani, everyone jumped in! On Victory Day 2009, free medical treatment was given to over 400 people, libraries were set up for underprivileged children, clothes were distributed amongst the poor of rural areas, awareness raising campaigns were done, streets were cleaned – you name it; it was all done! On the international front, Bangladeshis in Canada, USA, Germany and even Norway participated in doing some kind of voluntary activity for Bangladesh!
But the one event that truly touched my heart was “Rickshaw pullers at a rickshaw garage at Akhalia, Neharipara in Sylhet helped distribute free medicines to more than a 100 of their colleagues.” That’s the spirit of the freedom fighters – It didn’t matter what they had. They jumped in with whatever they had.
The beauty of the event lies in its simplicity. Anyone and everyone can participate. They are not asked to forgo their original plans. They just modify it to ensure they do something worthwhile for the country too, even if it is as simple as distributing some “Bangladesh – a Tourism Haven” type leaflets in their friend circles, promoting our tourism industry. It doesn’t cost us anything. But it has enormous returns.
Please watch our You tube video’2009
