The young generation can change their lives, family, society, and organization and ultimately change a nation. Sometimes volunteer work may be more valuable than our regular work! Volunteering helps improve the lives of others. Voluntary work can- develop transferable skills; reinforce social Capital, Support Academic Success, and Practice Empathy.
Volunteering can help gain confidence by giving the chance to try something new, build a real sense of achievement, meet different kinds of people, make new friends, feel part of something outside your friends and family, learn new skills, and gain experience and sometimes even qualifications. Volunteering can have a real and valuable positive affect on people, communities, and society in general. Through volunteering, you can challenge yourself to try something different, achieve personal goals, practice using your skills, and discover hidden talents.
SDI to SFB
In 2014, When Ershed Ahammad Nishan elected as a post-graduate union officer of South Bank University Students Union. I talked to him about Social Development Initiative (SDI). He has always been a hardworking person. This is precisely his trademark personality one should find after engaging him for a period. At that time, Engr Jahangir Alam Jisan thinks that we cannot start any new organization smoothly without groundwork. We have to make a foundation or create an intense basement before formally starting.
Shariful Islam Sumon appreciated that idea. He said- ` It’s a good idea; I am also interested in participating. Our country has a lot of potential resources, but we can’t utilize them properly. We are waiting to get an opportunity so that we can use our education. Our life is concise. Within this short time, if we can’t do anything for our society, our meaning of life will become useless. So go ahead. We are ready to do something not only for our poor people but also for our loving country. Bangladesh provides us a vast thing that we can’t describe in a few words.’
Shamim Al-Mamun and Israt Jahan participated in making a road map of this organization. Israt Jahan said, `we can try to save our children, women, poor people and our society. In my observation, girls are more deprived in this area. so we should give priority to them.’
I said to them, `we are not only for our family. We have to think broadly. Bangladesh is our birth land, homeland, motherland, dream, hope, and love. This land, freedom of this country, the sovereignty of this country, the flag of this country, and the country’s map are not only for any specific party or special group. This country is for all people of this country. We don’t want war, fighting, killing, and discrimination. We think that the sun is one, the moon is one, and the sky is one. We get light from the same sun, the same moon, and drink the same water, so we are all for all. That means we have a similarity. We are Bangladeshi citizens; it’s our common identity. Come all in one umbrella and be united to help the people and ensure the nation’s progress and development in the country.’
In 2017, We changed the organization’s name to a new name- Save the Family-Bangladesh (SFB). We discussed what kind of organization it would be. What will the organization be like- a non-profitable, welfare base, non-governmental, non-political humanitarian, development organization, or social business initiative.
SFB operates non-financial programs to secure a sustainable `family bonding in the society, taking proper care of a family to adhere to a peaceful life and attain formal counseling because of problems related to their family issues. SFB is dedicated to improve and promote friendly culture and create a positive future, to increase awareness in parenting, drug abusing-dowry-corruption. SFB wants to create a society where the people live in equity and peace by their maximum potential, to ensure human welfare by expected development and require change.
Organization for Peace and Progress
When I was just like any other university student, dreamy, visionary, and hopeful, I wanted to establish an organization to contribute to society. My step was just like almost any other good initiative without earthly interest. At that time, my dream was significant, but I would not continue this organization without experience. I shared my plan and vision with some young, energetic guy. They did not delay to be united. Their passion for serve humanity and dream in social work urged them to take up some projects.
One of them was Mizanur Rahman Kiron, a Founder and President at Physically-challenged Development Foundation (PDF). He is pushing his creativity and intelligence to newer boundaries. He has taken on the challenge of bringing about a change for disabled peoples. Other one was Muhammad Abdul Khalique. He was brave, talented, and inspiring young from his higher secondary level. His excellent handwriting, smartness of language using in writing attracted me. He is one of them who wants to initiate his work to inspire others.
Another one was Sheikh Mohammad Sadek. He studied in the Bengali department of the Dhaka University. His dedication, sacrifice, and cordial thinking inspired me to do something for poor people. Mahfuz Rahman and Sayed Jubaer were also with us; They sang very well and were very sincere.
After a lot of discussions, they agreed to do something for social advancement and help needy people. They loved me and my plan a lot, but I did not take careful planning. Starting a new organization was a good attempt, but we could not continue it because of different obstacles and lack of experience.
In that team, many members were students of college level. So when they got a chance to be admitted to different public universities to acquire higher education, It broke unity. In 2008, we had an office of the Organization for Peace and Progress at Uttara. House No: 07, Road No: 20, Sector: 4. I missed many moments and events of that period.
FPP and EPF
After Organization for Peace and Progress, I did not stop. I wanted to establish NGO with some corporate people, business people, and professionals. We were involved with Foundation for Peace and Progress- FPP and Eastern Progress Foundation-EPP; many journalists, lawyers, university and college teachers, and business people. I had thought that those who have economic solvency are appropriate persons to serve society.
But it was unfortunate for me that they were very busy with their livelihood and professional work. Those could contribute with money to arrange a program, to help needy people but not enough time. We worked together- Fazlul Haque Bachchu Bhai, Abdul Kader Bhai, Sheikh Abu Taleb Bhai, and Mahmud Akash Bhai. Many seminars, roundtable discussions, exchange of views program arranged by Eastern Progress Foundation-EPF and Foundation for Peace and Progress-FPP.
Save Humanity
I worked with an NGO, Save Humanity; it was a growing non-profitable international humanitarian and development organization. We intended to support poor people in easing their living standards most effectively and sustainably. We worked in partnership with the poorest people, directly enabling them to improve their lives and using our knowledge and experience to influence decisions made at a local, national and international level that can significantly reduce extreme poverty.
Save Humanity prioritizes empowerment and sustainable development and inspires generations to take responsibility for their society. It believes mobilizing the entire community would create a sustainable change in the life of poor people of the World. It is endeavoring to make a constructive contribution to unprivileged people through primarily focusing on poverty alleviation, education, health care, and disadvantaged child care.
Save Humanity’s vision is to create a world without poverty and all sorts of discrimination, where everyone would be able to enjoy the full potentials of their lives irrespective of color, gender, religious affiliation, and country of origin. Save Humanity aims to contribute to the global development movement to empower people and communities and reduce the abjection of poverty worldwide. Save Humanity is exclusively dedicated to reducing human suffering and is non-political and non-sectarian in its mission.
Its objectives are to- Provide humanitarian and charitable assistance to the suffering people in World’s poorest countries, To Serve the needs of the most vulnerable parts of the societies, to Relieve the financial hardship of poor and disadvantaged people Utilize development money the most sustainably and efficiently. To Provide holistic, multi-sectoral, sustainable, and pro-poor programs, ensuring long-term development at the grassroots level. To uphold the highest professional norms in program delivery, including accountability to beneficiaries and donors alike. To Provide quality and practical education to the unprivileged children and ignored in society, to Provide support to charitable organizations.
Values of Save Humanity are Honesty, Transparency, Sincerity, Social Justice, Accountability, Commitment, and Optimum Utilization of Resources. The focus of Save Humanity was to improve the living condition of extremely poor and education, health care, disadvantaged child care in the unprivileged society of the rural areas.
Why Initiatives Fail
Organizational change initiatives rarely fail due to a lack of good ideas; instead, they are stifled by weak leadership, inappropriate organizational structures, and insufficient reinforcement of positive behaviors.
An organization could not achieve its goal, which means there were some problems. Problems or threats of an institution are-
- Lack of visionary leadership
- Lack of funds
- Lack of professionalism
- Failure to communicate
- Favoritism
- Absence of leadership consensus
- Lack of inspiring leadership
- Lack of top management support
- Lack of accountability
- Inadequate resources
- Poor planning
- Failure to measure
- Disjointed team
- Resistance
- Lack of defined outcomes
- Mismanagement
- Inadequate qualification of the management
- Unskilled employee & lack of training
- Localism
- Nepotism
- Professional Jealousy
- Corruption
- Waste time & money
- Partiality
- Politicization
- Injustice
Why Long Walk to Social Development
We want to build societies where all people can live, learn, work together. Many people think of social movement as – charity/philanthropy, social work, humanitarian job, poverty alleviation, etc., these are wrong conceptions. Social movement may contain all the jobs, but not limited to these. It is much broader from concept to activity. I think we all have come almost closer to an agreement sufficient to commence the much expected ‘social movement’. We believe in hope. We believe in dreams.
Writer: Editor, poribar.net & Executive Editor, www.careerintelligencebd.com
