As the spreads of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic dengarously in Bangladesh like many other parts of the world, people from different strata of the society – especially the daily wage earners, street vendors, part-time job holders and other low-income people – continue to suffer for weeks now that has brought volunteers’ role to the fore.

One such initiative to stand for the suffering masses is ‘Conscious Consumers Society’ (CCS) and followed by its youth organisation ‘Consumer Youth Bangladesh’ (CYB).

CCS and CYB did form a volunteer team in the last week of March this year. With their continued service for the people over the last couple of months, the platform has been able to become a family of 11,000 people.

The organization is now the country’s largest platform of volunteers working for the troubled people amid COVID-19 outbreak, said the sources concerned.

They took five initiatives to stand beside the affected people – volunteerism, food assistance, Iftar distribution, gift, and scholarship support.

The volunteers are connected and active in a facebook group ‘Coronay Shechchasheby’ (volunteers in corona) and working in 60 districts and more than 400 upazillas of the country.

The main activity of the team, however, is to support the local administration voluntarily.

‘Coronay Shechchasheby’ are raising fund and distributing food assistance and iftar. As of now, they have distributed food among 7,000 families and iftar among 500 families. The platform is also helping farmers sell their produces.

Besides, CCS and CYB started a “gift in corona” programme to help the poor students who have been leading their study period through private tutoring or part-time job and now they are faced with acute problems. The “gift in corona” programme has already financially assisted over 300 students representing 7 universities and colleges across the country.

The universities include Jahangirnagar University, Jagannath University, Islamic University, Rajshahi University, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University and Govt. Bangabandhu College, Gopalganj.

At Islamic University (Kushtia), CCS and IUian, a platform of the former students of the university, have jointly taken an initiative to give Taka 2,000 to 100 students for a minimum of 3 months and maximum six months during the COVID-19 situation.

Executive Director of CCS Palash Mahmud said, “CCS does not have its own fund. We are working depending on the donations and contributions received from the rich, wealthy and able section of the society side by side different commercial enterprises like evaly, brandbuy.xyz and Bangladesh Migrant Welfare Society. Even the volunteers are helping people by collecting donations locally.”

Anyone, he said, can contribute using the bkash and nagad (merchant) number of CCS – 01977453653 and rocket (merchant) 2776.

Also, Coronay Shechchasheby has built a team of doctors where 30 doctors are have got involved and have been giving service to the people in need through mobile phone and video call.

Kazi Johirul Islam, central coordinator of ’Volunteers in Corona’, said, “We are helping the farmers too by cutting paddy.”

In addition, a total of 184 electrical engineers have joined hands with the volunteers out of their spontaneity for the greater cause of the country.

Source:theindependent

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