Many organizations in Dhaka are offering various types of assistance to people in need due to the novel coronavirus, but the one offered by OBHIZATRIK Foundation, a voluntary organization, is completely unique.
The foundation is conducting a campaign called “Bina Poyshar Bajaar” where people in need can take free of cost vegetables from selected areas in Dhaka.
The foundation is sourcing vegetables directly from farmers of different districts, bringing those to Dhaka, and offering them at different locations where people in need can take as much as they need without paying any price.
A person can collect a maximum of one kilogram of vegetables from the place, said volunteers of OBHIZATRIK Foundation.
“The idea first struck my mind when I came to know that farmers in different districts are not being able to get a fair price for vegetables amid the coronavirus crisis, while many people in Dhaka are also failing to buy vegetables because of their financial incapability in this crisis,” said Ahmed Imtiaz Jami, president of the foundation.
Based on the demands of both parties, we are now collecting vegetables directly from farmers and are bringing those to Dhaka in trucks, he said.
According to him, the organization distributed nearly 28 tons of vegetables to people via “Bina Poyshar Bajar” that was operated in late March at multiple locations in Dhaka including Mirpur-1, Mirpur 11, Pallabi, Gabtoli, Mohammadpur and Asadgate.
The foundation, under the campaign is distributing gourd (lau), cucumber, eggplant, sweet pumpkin, bitter gourd (korola), tomato, potato, onion etc which are collected mostly from Panchagarh, Rangpur and Narshingdi.
“Primarily, we brought eight tons of vegetable and got a very good response as people, mostly from low middle income group. Following the response, we expanded the initiative to two-three times a month in different locations in Dhaka,” said Jami.
According to him, this initiative is one way helping farmers getting fair price, and also the ensuring vegetable needs of the people, who can receive formalin free vegetables under the campaign.
The foundation will conduct the campaign in six locations of Mirpur in Dhaka on Thursday from 11am.
“So far, we can cover only six areas of Dhaka but many areas like Kamrangirchar or Jatrabari, where there is a demand, remains ignored. If we can get support from corporate, we can bring vegetables in bulk and can ensure the vegetable need for low income people in the days ahead in a more expanded way,” said the foundation founder Jami.
He also highlighted that dairy farmers across Bangladesh are also suffering and struggling for survival as they are forced to dump milk every day because of a lack of demand at every level amid the virtual lockdown in the country.
“We do not have the capacity to bring those in freezers. If we get support, we can bring those as well which can help us support low income families in need of dairy intakes,” added Jami.
With the initiative of just one young man, the foundation was launched in 2010 now has volunteers in 32 districts and is working for the underprivileged.
The foundation operates three schools which provide education for 500 children and manages a boat ambulance in southern region of the country for treatment of underprivileged.
Under a project called “Sokkhom” operated under Zakaat fund, the foundation's work has so far enabled 492 families to become self-reliant.
The foundation is also providing iftar to 1,200 people every day in Dhaka and Rangpur, based on donations received from different foundation and individuals, and they aim to provide total 50,000 iftars to people by the end of Ramadan.
Since March, the foundation provided food relief to 40,000 families in 10 upazila under eight districts to meet their 15-day food demand during Covid-19, where they also plan to provide another 40,000 people with groceries after Eid.