My journey with OBHIZATRIK Foundation began in 2012. We were a group of passionate youth, ready to change the world with little to no experience. But that didn’t stop us. Time and time again we faced challenges. We accepted these challenges and tried our best to overcome them. We were confident that we can jump over any obstacles in our path. Because we were blessed with a team of outstanding volunteers, cordial sponsors and of course the well wishes of all those people we tried to help.
OBHIZATRIK Foundation started in 2010 as a non-profit organization focused with the mission to alleviate the social-economic insufficiencies that our country suffers from the day of its independence. Approximately 20.9% of the entire population of Bangladesh lives below the National Poverty Line. These people live a crippled life of financial insolvency, food insecurity, and unstable employment. Forever stuck in the loop of deprivation, this huge part of the population can hardly improve their lives and escape poverty in the long run. It almost seems like their fates are sealed into an unending chain of misery and misfortune. Thus, we visualized a team of young changemakers dedicated to helping the less privileged. We called ourselves OBHIZATRIK.
What started out as road events and short-term campaigns soon evolved to long-running projects. We expanded our views and tried to think of long-term development in the lives of the underprivileged. Now after 12 years of successful operation, OBHIZATRIK Foundation organizes four long-term sustainable projects and multiple short-term campaigns. With respect to SDGs, our 4 sustainable projects are: SHOKKHOM, Food Hanger, Boat Ambulance and OBHIZATRIK School.
OBHIZATRIK School was our first and foremost establishment under OBHIZATRIK Foundation. This is because in order to shape the future of our country, we need to nurture our youth to become self reliant citizens of Bangladesh. At present we have approximately 600 students across 3 different branches. We follow a well-regulated curriculum that ensures both cognitive and physical well being. We have included extra curricular activities such as Martial art, SRHR class, Gardening etc.
Looking back at all those years, I can’t help but wonder how far we’ve come. Despite the shortcomings and the failures, we have been able to experience sincere smiles and thanks from many people. At the end of the day, that is enough to make us hopeful for looking ahead and getting ready for embracing more challenges. I am grateful to be part of this outstanding team of young changemakers.
