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This distinctive restaurant was established in December 2019 by an organisation known as Youth for Bangladesh. The thought was to start a philanthropic journey the place paying for meals is not going to require cash, however one will ‘pay’ with a superb deed
Jahura Begum is a day-labourer who says consuming right here saves her some cash. Photographs: Nooe-A-Alam
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Jahura Begum is a day-labourer who says consuming right here saves her some cash. Photographs: Nooe-A-Alam
It’s not something fancy. No tables or chairs, only a shaded pavement within the capital’s Tejgaon FDC mor space, the place a minimum of 60 individuals are sitting on the bottom, ready for a van.
The pavement is clear and the adjoining wall says ‘Bhalo Kajer Lodge’ or a lodge for good work – that means you do not want cash to eat right here, all you have to is a minimum of one good deed for the day.
At 2:30pm, a lined van arrives and parks beside the pavement. Similar to the wall, ‘Bhalo Kajer Lodge’ can be written on it in Bangla. The people who find themselves ready don’t appear to be in any hurry; they appear calm and warranted.
Two younger males, Rubel Ahmed Himel and Moniruzzaman Monir, get out from the van and open its again door. There are giant vessels containing khichuri, egg curry, melamine plates and water cans inside.
One other younger man approaches those that are ready and one after the other begins paying attention to their title, age and what good deed they carried out that day.
Then they begin distributing the meals – khichuri with egg curry.
This initiative was primarily designed to feed the rootless and helpless, together with the road kids. Picture: Noor-A-Alam
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This initiative was primarily designed to feed the rootless and helpless, together with the road kids. Picture: Noor-A-Alam
Roman, a younger boy with hazel eyes, caught our consideration. We went to him and learnt that he works within the Moghbazar kitchen market and for the final three to 4 months, he has been having lunch right here.
Roman can’t handle to do a superb deed on a regular basis, understandably, however that day, he had one in his pocket.
“I noticed a loaded cycle van crossing the rail line with a lot weight that the motive force was struggling to cross the road. So I went and helped him,” he stated, gobbling down the khichuri.
For a lot of, it was their first meal of the day.
Jahura Begum is a day-labourer who lives on the streets. “All the things is so dear now. Even a banana prices Tk10, earlier it value Tk8. Consuming right here saves me some cash,” she stated.
Picture: Noor-A-Alam
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Picture: Noor-A-Alam
“Should you come right here on a regular basis at 2:30pm within the afternoon, one can find these folks ready for us. They know that nobody will go away hungry. So, they create no fuss and are very disciplined,” stated Rubel, one of many founding members and volunteers.
This distinctive restaurant was established in December 2019 – simply earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic hit Bangladesh – by an organisation known as Youth for Bangladesh.
It was primarily designed to feed the rootless and helpless, together with avenue kids. The thought was to start a philanthropic journey the place paying for meals is not going to require cash however is not going to be free as properly. One will ‘pay’ with a superb deed.
And even when one fails to carry out a superb deed on that specific day, s/he is not going to be made to return empty-handed. The lodge will nonetheless feed them, however they have to do two good deeds the following day.
Beginning with 150 folks a day, the organisation has come a good distance, now feeding greater than 600-700 folks per day. It now has three resorts or feeding locations within the capital, and one in Chattogram.
In keeping with crew members, the initiative now has 1,600 members and nearly 4,000 volunteers.
Picture: Noor-A-Alam
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Picture: Noor-A-Alam
In Dhaka, they serve meals within the Korail slum space from 12pm to 2pm, in Tejgaon Shatrasta from 2:30pm to 4:00pm and in Kamalapur Railway space, from 7:30pm to 9pm.
“However we do not need sufficient to feed folks day by day of the month. We will present meals for round 24 days. Generally a donor could come ahead to pay for one more additional day’s meals, however that’s uncommon,” Moniruzzaman Monir, one other member and volunteer stated.
How is it financed?
“To feed greater than 13,000 folks a month, we want roughly Tk7 lakh a month. And two-third of the quantity comes from our day by day ten member group,” Rubel knowledgeable us. The remaining is collected from our well-wishers.
So, what is that this day by day ten member group?
Anybody will be part of it and begin donating cash. However first, you must register your title with this Fb group as a member for a Tk300 price. Subsequently, you both save Tk10 on a regular basis in a financial institution on the resorts in the event you occur to be a volunteer, or donate one other Tk300 to the organisation at the beginning of the following month.
The group now has 1,600 members however roughly 1000 members donate cash each month.
“Our kitchen is in Basabo and normally we purchase substances for per week or 10 days, and maintain them in our retailer home,” Rubel stated.
Picture: Noor-A-Alam
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Picture: Noor-A-Alam
He added that cooking begins at six within the morning on a regular basis for the Korail and Hatirjheel resorts. Round 10am or 11am, they load the van and begin for the zones. Then at round 3pm, the cooks begin getting ready the night meal, which they serve in Kamalapur.
What’s within the menu?
Primarily rice dishes like khichuri, polao or white rice with egg curry, greens and meat. “We attempt to alter the menu each different day. For instance, if we serve khichuri at the moment, we are going to serve white rice with daal and greens the following day,” Monir stated.
On Fridays, they’ve particular gadgets like rooster roast with polao. The sort of meals is most appreciated by company however as Rubel shared with us, they can not afford to serve meat on a regular basis and it’s also not wholesome for the eaters.
Why this commerce in good deeds?
“Why do some folks steal, and even pickpocket? Just for meals! If we are able to present them with meals this fashion, they could suppose twice earlier than doing one thing fallacious,” Rubel stated.
Within the final three years, the organisation has fed nearly 10 lakh folks they usually love that a minimum of half of them carried out one thing good.
However what if somebody lies about doing a superb deed to get free meals? To this, Rubel replied, “Possibly on the primary day s/he’ll lie, after which once more on the second day, then maybe on the third. However we imagine human beings can’t maintain mendacity like this on a regular basis for meals.”
“Eventually, they may develop a conscience and really begin doing one thing good,” he added.
About Youth for Bangladesh
Beginning in 2009, this youth organisation first began fundraising for the therapies of coronary heart sufferers. Since then, the organisation has aided coronary heart remedy for 300 kids, the founding volunteer Md Arifur Rahman instructed us.
He, together with six of his buddies, have been concerned in charity work since their college days in 2009. In keeping with Arifur, it was creator Humayun Ahmed’s work that impressed them to provoke this challenge.
Picture: Noor-A-Alam
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Picture: Noor-A-Alam
He stated, “In considered one of his (Humayun Ahmed) TV dramas ‘Sobuj Chaya’, there was a personality performed by Zahid Hasan, who made an settlement with himself to do a minimum of one good factor day by day. It made him completely satisfied. And I realised serving to folks made me completely satisfied.”
Arifur and his buddies wished to hold out charitable work in a extra organised manner. That was why they created the Fb group named ‘Youth for Bangladesh’.
The organisation runs three colleges for the homeless, marginalised kids – two in Dhaka and one other one in Madaripur.
Other than this, in addition they have an old-age house in Merul Badda named ‘Rashmona Aponghor’.
“We wished to do one thing that may go away a major affect on society. That was when the thought of giving meals in alternate for good work got here to our thoughts,” stated Arifur.
He additionally stated poverty typically performs a job in elevated prison actions. So, he felt if folks do not need to fret about meals, maybe they won’t be manipulated simply to commit crimes.
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