US Ambassador inaugurates JAAGO's new VBD facilities

On June 30, the US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Dan Mozena visited the JAAGO compounds in Rayerbazar, Dhaka to inaugurate the new facilities of Volunteers for Bangladesh (VBD). He also interacted with students of JAAGO's online schools and met with the volunteers. Mozena was accompanied by his wife Grace Mozena; Hasan Ahmed, Chairman, Popular Life Insurance Company Ltd and M. Abu Taher, Chairman, Fortuna Group.
The JAAGO foundation has done more than its share for the welfare of local communities across the country since its inception back in 2007. With the success it has achieved, JAAGO has been able to spread the word about the value of volunteerism. A step on that path was VBD, founded in 2011 -- an organisation for young people interested in being productive by helping the less fortunate. The US Embassy in Dhaka has been involved with JAAGO.
The day started with the Ambassador observing the online schooling program of JAAGO. He talked to the students over video conference and even asked them questions to test their learning. Later he visited the JAAGO school campus, and spent some time with the students. For the main event of the day, Dan Mozena formally inaugurated an idea sharing zone for VBD, two new classrooms and a sewing centre that empowers destitute, unemployed women.
Brief presentations by the administrators of VBD -- about the past and present activities of the organisation -- followed. Some informative sessions were delivered by Khaled Mahmood Mustafa, manager of VBD; Ashikur Rahman, President of VBD's Dhaka division; Muntaka Khan, former Vice President of the Dhaka district board. They went through slides that showed VBD and JAAGO's involvement in different levels of social work, notable of which are their work with Habitat for Humanity, events organised on World Water Day, Health Day and Environment Day.
Later on M. Abu Taher and Dan Mozena both delivered speeches. Mozena stressed about how a nation needs to be developed, and how it doesn't build itself. “I am here because I believe in the philosophy of JAAGO,” he said, adding, “it is all about helping yourself because others aren't going to help you.”
Mozena was presented with a token of appreciation by the students of JAAGO, overseen by the organisation's founder and chairman, Korvi Rakshand.

Photo: Darshan Chakma