Syed Shemul Parvez :
Bangladesh has been passing through critical juncture due to the ongoing long time lockdown across the country to tackle deadly coronavirus attack.
Millions of poor people had lost their earning sources since the coronavirus thrust in the country.
As a result most of the day-labourers, transport workers, street vendors and domestic workers are leading inhumane life. They are crying for foods and shelters.
During the ongoing corona pandemic, Khukumoni Foundation, a government approved non-profit organization, has been working with the poor, the underprivileged and street children to ensure basic rights such as food, clothing, shelters, education and medical care.
It is learned that this organization has been delivering food to around 2,000 people per day.
To meet the expenses, donations from businessmen, jobholders and other professionals are being collected.
When contacted, Mansur Rahman, Founder and CEO of Khukumoni Foundation, told the New Nation, ”we have been working tirelessly for the underprivileged people in the society since 2015. The main goal of the foundation is to realize the basic rights of neglected children and disadvantaged people of the country, he said.
About 2000 registered volunteers have been working with this organization.
What was the actual reason behind establishing this organization?
CEO Mansur told the New Nation, when he was student of Jagannath University, was inspired to start the organization after he met a child outside his campus in 2015. “I threw away a watermelon peel and saw the kid to eat it.
So I bought him a fresh one,” he said. Following this incident, he began spending time with these children. Subsequently, he started conducting regular classes for them at Suhrawardy Udyan.
The organisation has five ‘Khukumoni’ schools, where over 500 children receive free primary education. They have also established three schools in Rajshahi, Rangpur and Barishal, intending to give them basic educational facilities across several villages. The main office of the organization is situated at Firmgate of the capital. It got the approval from the directorate of the social welfare in 2018.
Their volunteers also conduct free health campaigns to provide free treatment to slum dwellers. “They are in real need of health counselling, due to the unhygienic conditions they live in. This is a monthly project, and we have reached around 30,000 people so far,” added Mansur.
