Bidyanondo Foundation

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Bidyanondo Foundation
বিদ্যানন্দ ফাউন্ডেশন
Founded22 December 2013
FounderKishor Kumar Das
TypeNon Profit Organization
Registration no.S-12258/2015
Area served
Bangladesh
Websitewww.bidyanondo.org

Bidyanondo Foundation (Bengali: বিদ্যানন্দ ফাউন্ডেশন) is a non-profit organization registered under the Bangladesh Department of Social Services. It works to help the poor community of Bangladesh and performs various social welfare activities. This organization was founded by Kishor Kumar Das in 2013.

History[edit]

Kishor Kumar Das, a computer science graduate from Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, established the organization in 2013.[1] It focuses on the education and feeding of street children.[2] As of 2020, it operated 12 branches that provided basic literacy, educational supplies, food, and other essentials to more than 2,000 children.[1]

Activities[edit]

Bidyanondo provides tutoring, educational supplies, and library facilities to students.[3]

The organization is known for rendering many of their services for a token price of one Bangladeshi taka, a practice intended to avoid the stigma of accepting charity. Their 'One Taka Meal' program serves more than 2,000 lunches a day to children and the elderly.[4][5] During Ramadan, they also sell sahri and iftar meals for one taka.[6] The organization also dispenses medical services and legal assistance for a fee of one taka.[7][8]

Other charitable activities include selling clothing to the poor for nominal amounts during the Durga Puja festival,[9] and distributing blankets to the poor at no cost.[10]

During COVID-19 pandemic[edit]

In 2020, different areas of Bangladesh were locked-down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The foundation expanded its activities to include setting up hand washing stations, manufacturing and distributing masks and hand sanitizer, sanitizing public transport, spraying disinfectant in public spaces, and distributing food to the underprivileged.[2][11][12]

Bidyanondo reacted more swiftly to the pandemic than the government did, which drew attention and increased donations to the charity. With the additional funding, they ventured into the hospital sector.[2] In 2020, they partnered with the owners of BK Convention Hall in Patenga Thana and with the Chittagong Metropolitan Police to transform the building into a field hospital. It opened in July with 50 beds.[13] Bidyanondo also worked with the Bangladesh Coast Guard to repurpose a hired tourist boat into a floating hospital named Jibon Kheya, which began treating patients in September.[14] The following April, Bidyanondo opened a 70-bed field hospital in Halishahar Thana of Chittagong.[15]

Others[edit]

Recently they have come up with discussion by making exercise notebooks and school bags out of waste electoral posters and banners.[16][17] Bidyanondo also operates a 36-bed women's hostel in Dhaka.[18][19]

Finances[edit]

Bidyanondo is a small nonprofit, with only 40 full-time staff as of 2019.[4] According to Das, its 2017 budget was about 20,000,000 Bangladeshi taka ($250,000 as of 2017).[20] As of 2020, financial support comes from 5,000 donors. Most are from Bangladesh, but a large percentage of donations come from abroad.[21]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Shariful Hasan (6 May 2020). "'Stepping down for sake of love'". The Daily Star.
  2. ^ a b c Farhat Tasnim (2021). Civil Society in Bangladesh: Vibrant but Not Vigilant. Springer. p. 183. ISBN 978-981-33-4403-7.
  3. ^ খেলতে খেলতে পড়ি. Samakal (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  4. ^ a b Shehab Sumon (17 October 2019). "A nonprofit group strives for zero hunger in Bangladesh". Arab News. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. ^ Afroza Zaman Anni (8 February 2019). "1 Taka Meal: More Than Just An Initiative". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  6. ^ এক টাকায় ইফতারি. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. ^ এক টাকায় বিদ্যানন্দের চিকিৎসা সেবা!. Banglanews24.com (in Bengali). 26 September 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  8. ^ এক টাকায় বিদ্যানন্দের খাবার, চিকিৎসা আইনী সেবা!. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  9. ^ ৭ টাকায় পুজোর জামা. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  10. ^ Asif Mahmud Ove (18 October 2020). "Bidyanondo prepares to spread winter warmth among poor". bdnews24.com.
  11. ^ Mir Mohammad Jasim (27 March 2020). "Bidyanondo to distribute foods among people worst hit by lockdown". The Business Standard. Retrieved 2020-05-07.
  12. ^ Sharmin Joya (30 March 2020). "Bidyanondo Foundation's commendable steps to combat coronavirus". The Daily Star. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  13. ^ Jinat Jahan Khan (23 October 2020). "A hospital by the people, for the people in just 14 days". The Daily Star.
  14. ^ "Floating hospital treats flood-ravaged community in Bangladesh". The Financial Express. Dhaka. Associated Press. 30 October 2020.
  15. ^ Arun Bikash Dey (26 April 2021). "Free facilities lie vacant as pvt hospitals fill up in Ctg". The Daily Star.
  16. ^ "Bidyanondo Foundation recycles city polls posters to notebooks". Dhaka Tribune. 4 February 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Bidyanondo: Collecting waste, saving nature". Prothom Alo. UNB. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  18. ^ বাসন্তী নিবাস: যে নিবাস শুধুই নারীদের. Dhaka Tribune (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  19. ^ বাসন্তী নিবাস’ শুধুই নারীদের হোটেল. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  20. ^ Yasmin Piu (16 June 2017). সুবিধা বঞ্চিত শিশুদের হাসি যার আনন্দ. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  21. ^ Nawaz Farhin Antara (7 May 2020). "Bidyanondo founder: The core reason behind my resignation was not communal hatred". Dhaka Tribune.

External links[edit]

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