December 30, 2007
Sweater for a Smile
1di collaborated with Drishtipat Canada this December for their “Sweater for a Smile” project. The plan was to combine funds and buy new sweaters for little children. Between a short time string and Eid-ul-Azha, we finally managed to see it through.
On 18th December 2007, Zubair Idris and Aaqib F. Hossain (representing 1di) with Sumaiya Sharmeen (representing Drishtipat Canada) went to a slum school, located in Agargaon. The school was a project run by Afzalunnessa Foundation (one of the many organizations that we’ve worked with in the past) and the authorities were excited to help us out.
This project would not have been possible without Drishtipat’s cooperation. 1di would like to thank Sumaiya Sharmeen and others from Drishtipat. We’re also grateful to Dr. Nizam (Director, Afzalunnessa Foundation), Rasheda Aunty (Principal, Agargaon School), the teachers from the school for their time and help, and the kids – for their wonderful smiles!
November 28, 2007
1di for Sidr Victims
1di stepped up during the crisis of Sidr Cyclone in Bangladesh. We made 100 Taka receipts, which we sold to fellow students and others. With the collected funds, we bought blankets and warm clothes for the affected population. Our donations will reach out to people from Madaripur and Baagerhut on the northern regions of the country.
Thanks to everybody who helped us to raise such a large amount of money in such a short time. 1di is grateful to:
Fardeen A. Kamal, for his brilliant “marketing” skills;
Shahriar Matin, for taking our donations to the right people;
Rubel Bhai from the photocopy shop at 9/A Dhanmondi, for making slip books containing receipts on a short notice; and
Everybody to contributed to the cause
April 26, 2007
Selling cards from CRP
Photo By: Niloy
The kids from CRP (Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed) are trained to draw using their mouth (mouth-painters) and come up with some amazing artwork. CRP prints greeting cards out of their paintings and sells them to visitors for benefit of the organization and its patients.
1dI, in an attempt to contribute and applaud their efforts boughts a total of 150 cards from CRP. In turn, we sold these cards to others, so that the money which is collected from total sales can be used to sponsor somebody’s education or donated to another community-welfare organization.
Our plan is to contribute to both CRP and the other organization.
Teaching staff of Adult Literacy
1dI collaborated with Mastermind Community Service Club (MMCSC) for the Adult Literacy project. The aim was to provide basic education to the helping staff of Mastermind Junior Section (and in future, Middle Section and Senior Section). We taught basic arithmetic and communicative English, and it has been one of our most memorable projects.
Selected students from MMCSC and 1dI members studying in Mastermind took part in this project. As Project Leader, I’d like to thank them all for their time, effort, patience and enthusiasm. This project would have been incomplete without you. Thanks a bunch!
Teaching Staff:
1. Sabhanaz Rashid Diya (Project Leader)
2. Zubair Idris
3. Tushmit M. Hasan
4. Amreen Rahman
5. Mayeesha Azhar
6. Samiha T. Chowdhury
7. Subaha Akram Hossain
8. Akhlak Bin Aziz
9. Armin Zaman Khan
10. Samana
The classes were very interesting and interactive. We were lucky to get a very excited, curious and wonderful batch of students; who supported our cause throughout the course. The project ran for 3 months (April-June ’07). We held General Knowledge/Q-&-A classes, where we encouraged our students to ask us any questions. It was an amazing experience and I believe we learnt as much from them as we taught them!
February 17, 2007
Ongoing projects
Adult Literacy campaign, started by Mastermind students under MMCSC.
Selling cards from CRP (Centre of Rehabilitations of the Paralyzed)
Lighting the Faces of Bangladesh
A few days back, a little kid was given a printed photo of himself by one of our members. He was ecstatic! The way the ten-taka print lighted up the kid’s face showed just how easy it is to bring a smile in a face that hardly gets to smile and how easy it is to make someone feel special.
So in one fine 1° Initiative meeting, we took up this project. We’ll go to little kids, take their photos, print them and then give it to them. Thinking that this little photo would be something the little kid will cherish, stare at every night and treasure as something that’s probably the one of the most precious things he owns… makes us feel very warm and fuzzy inside!
What we’re really doing is that we’re giving these little kids something that they’ll cherish; something that’ll tell them they matter too. And even if it’s none of that, we just LOVE the way a simple ten-taka print can bring such beautiful smiles to faces that hardly ever gets to smile.
We set up a blog, where we’ll put up the photos of the kids, happy and smiling or grinning, as they hold up their photos right after we give it to them.
February 10, 2007
Chhinnamukul distributing clothes from 1° Initiative
Throughout November and December, we worked on our Winter Clothes Collection project. After collecting a decent total of approximately 650 clothes, we sent it off to Chhinnamukul for distribution. The NGO distributed the clothes in Kurigram, and now we’ve got the photos of the clothes being distributed! 
November 14, 2006
Confusions in Islam Answered
Click to download:
Confusions in Islam Answered
This is something my friend, Rubayat sent me. It’s pretty useful and although not “exactly” related to what we do, it is important.
1d-I is motivated towards building a better informed, confident and inspired youth community who know the answers to the questions and have the gutts to fight realities and change them.
This should be good!
AWF Field Report : Amreen Rahman
October 12th 2006, Thursday
I went to AWF on October 12th, Thursday. I was there just in time to witness the mock Iftar preparations, which are held every Thursday in order to let the children in the most auspicious moment of Ramadaan, which is Iftar. Tushmit and I were requested by the teachers organizing the event to sing some “Ham’d_Na’at”, or religious songs. We complied, and the songs were quite successful in calming some of the agitated children. Some teachers joined in.
After Iftar was over, we accompanied the children down the stairs to the classrooms (I escorted some Rojonigondha students to their classroom). I stayed in Rojonigondha until the classes were adjourned.
October 5th 2006, Thursday
I have worked (according to the set schedule) in Kanon (AWF) on the 5th of October, 2006. We arrived at about 1 pm. We went their. We first looked at the various stalls set up by the dedicated teachers, and the students of the school. After looking at the various handicrafts and cards designed by the students, we were assigned to our respective classrooms.
My responsibility was to assist the teachers of the classroom, “Golap”. I was under the supervision of Mili Apa, and four other teachers. I helped some students with their class work. For instance, I helped a student to write his numerals, completely from 1-20, and checked copies.
Next was Tiffin break. I supervised the students, while they washed their hand, brought out their respective Tiffin boxes and water bottles. The teachers and I then busied ourselves with assisting the children in eating their Tiffin’s.
Next on the agenda was recreation. The children were taken to the verandah. It was my job to see to it that the children did not get involved in any mischief.
Every Thursday, of the month of Ramadan, the teachers arrange for the children to have Iftar in school. That Thursday was no exception. The teachers arranged various food items in plates, and I helped. There was a chart on the all, where the various activities of Ramadan were written. The chart was read out while the children ate.
We left AWF at at 3:30 pm, after meeting Dr Rownak Hafiz. It had been quite a productive day for all three of us, at AWF.
—
Amreen Rahman
October 6, 2006
AWF Field Report : Tushmit M. Hasan
Thursday, 12.10.2006
Amreen and I went to AWF at around 3.00 p.m. Today the teachers had arranged a milaad-like Iftari for the students. All the teachers and students sat on carpets spread on the floor, and Amreen and I were asked to sing. We sang around 4 or 5 hamds and na’ts. After the Iftari was fetched, Rana Bhaiya performed an Adhaan and the kids had their Iftari.
After that we were assigned to different classes. I went to Golap, and basically talked to the students and played with them. Classes were dismissed at 4.45.
Besides, Amreen, me and Samiha contributed to the AWF fund by buying stuff from the mela and the food items they had on sale. But that was on Wednesday.
Thursday, 05.10.2006
Amreen, Mayeesha and I went to AWF from Mastermind (after a brief stop at Amreen’s place). Farhana was unable to come because she was sick. We arrived at 2.00 p.m.We introduced Mayeesha to everyone in the hall room (where the mela was being held), and I requested Mayeesha be assigned with me in the same classroom to get her sccustomed to the place.
We were assigned to Rojonigondha. It was the tiffin period when we arrived. I exchanged greetings with the kids and introduced Mayeesha. We basically watched them eat and tried to help out the teachers with little favours like fetching this and that.
We inspected some C.W. copies to see how they are taught to get used to holding the pencils and how they are gradually introduced to letters. We hope this will help in the shakkhor kormoshuchi and if we are to teach underpriviledged kids.
We took the kids out to the veranda to roam around and “get a break” from the classroom, and played with them a little. On Thursdays, the students are allowed to relax a little – it is the “choice day” – there are no set activities and the students are given some freedom – so there were no activities to participate in.
For our benefit – Iftari was brought up early. Iftari perod is held every Thursday in Ramadaan to teach the students how to behave during the actual Iftar time. We participated here as much as we could.
We left at 3.30.
—
Tushmit M. Hasan
