Give Something Back this Eid

JAAGO FOUNDATION'S ZAKAT DRIVE AND RESTAURANT DRIVE

JAAGO is one of the well established volunteer organisations in the country right now, and most of their work is concentrated on children from underprivileged families. JAAGO's Eid and Ramadan campaign consists of three different projects. "Zakat Drive" offers the more fortunate members of our society a chance to contribute to the education of the children under JAAGO's care through their zakat money.

By contributing to a child's education, people can ensure a bright future for another person. Another project JAAGO has taken on during this Ramadan is "Restaurant Drive", where they're attempting to attract restaurant owners to create a partnership where a portion of their Ramadan bills are channelled to JAAGO for charity. JAAGO Foundation's motto for their campaign this Ramadan is "Giving is receiving".

By contributing to a child's education, a person is investing in the future because that child will grow up one day and give back to the society. JAAGO also organised an iftar this Ramadan where all the sponsors, donors, volunteers and of course, the kids associated with JAAGO got together and shared a memorable evening.

JAAGO receives donations at this bKash number: 01755557248. For those interested in their projects this Ramadan, they can be contacted on their Facebook page or their website (www.jaago.com.bd) or at this number: 01766666654.

1° INITIATIVE'S "100 SMILES"
A youth organisation focusing on getting young people involved in our social issues, 1° Initiative is naturally interested in charity and helping underprivileged children, with the help of their volunteers. Every year during Ramadan since 2010, 1° Initiative has been arranging an event called "100 smiles", which is their own way of bringing smiles to the faces of street children.

By spending time with them – in fun and games, handing out gifts, cooking and sharing meals, applying henna in their hands, young people from different parts of our society are brought together in the spirit of Eid, which is all about shared happiness. Interested individuals can keep an eye on 1° Initiative's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/1difb) for the event "100 smiles 2015", where they have to register to be a part of this.

1° Initiative takes donations for their events. Those interested in donating to them can send an email to [email protected] with the subject "Donate". For further information, they can be contacted at this number: 01716646666.

DURNIBAR FOUNDATION'S "RAMADAN RITUAL" 
Like previous years, Durnibar Foundation (founded in 2012) has taken the initiative to distribute new clothes for Eid – in the last week of Ramadan – among underprivileged children and their families. In addition, Durnibar will distribute new clothes to rickshaw-pullers all over Dhaka city, so that these hard-working people as well as the people on the streets can celebrate Eid like everyone else.

Their event is called "Ramadan Ritual" and this will be carried out every year. On June 18, Durnibar distributed enough rice and lentils to over 50 families to last the entire month of Ramadan. Fitrah is a form of charity practiced by Muslims during Ramadan and it is supposed to be given in the form of food.

If you donate your fitrah amount to Durnibar, it will be used to buy food for the poor. Also, Ramadan is the time of zakat. Durnibar receives donations during Ramadan and that contribution helps people in need to have a better Eid. To donate, please contact: 01724584134 or visit Durnibar's office in Dhanmondi (House 25, Road 10/A). Durnibar's motto is "Let's lend a helping hand", and they need many helping hands if their endeavours to help the needy are to be successful. 

SHOPNOBUZZ'S "EID FEST 2015"
Shopnobuzz is another youth charity organisation taking on projects that help the underprivileged in our society. Their campaign on Eid, called the "Eid Fest", is up for a third instalment this year. Shopnobuzz will distribute new clothes to children in the city. Their main goal is to attract youngsters who are willing to help and to create awareness among them about the disparity in lifestyles of the different classes of society. Shopnobuzz also arranges "Mehedi Fest", where their volunteers spread out around the city, meeting children on the streets, spending time with them and making henna patterns on their hands on the eve of Eid. Shopnobuzz, like all the others mentioned above, requires donations and volunteers to keep their projects running. More details can be found on their event page "EID FEST'15-Connecting smiles, Making it Larger", and on their Facebook page (fb.com/shopnobuzzbd). Donations can be made to this bKash number: 01723117983, and for more information, they can be contacted at this number: 01681892204.

HELPING HANDS' "GIVING BACK: FEED THE NEED"
Helping Hands , another recently founded organisation in Dhaka, has introduced the second instalment of the "Giving Back" project, "Giving Back: Feed The Need". They aim to provide iftar on every Saturday this Ramadan to around 60 underprivileged individuals at the Gulshan Youth Club Park. "We have the privilege to enjoy varieties of iftar every evening; the least we could do is use that privilege to feed those who are not as lucky," said Maisha Chisty, one of the co-founders. They accept donations such as food and/or funds (a minimum of BDT 120 needed per individual). Depending on the amount of donations they receive they hope to increase the number of attendees. Anyone can contribute to this project by heading over to fb.com/HelpingHandsDhaka to fill out their donation form or simply by dropping off some food at Gulshan Youth Club, which is in Gulshan 2, Dhaka on any Saturday by 5:30 pm.

The need to help the less fortunate is an innate human quality. During the holy month of Ramadan and around the season of Eid, more and more people are interested in such charitable work. The organisations mentioned above deserve all the help they can get because their work solely revolves around creating a better society by helping those in need. They provide us channels to make sure our contributions reach the hands of those who need it most.