Poriborton Foundation, a non-governmental charity organization, has come to the aid of a partially paralyzed rickshaw-puller whose rickshaw was seized by the authorities during the lockdown.
On April 20, a video went viral of the rickshaw-puller, Rafique, who paddled his rickshaw day in, day out in the capital despite his physical condition to feed his family of four, according to a press release issued by the organization on Sunday.
The authorities seized his rickshaw as it was a battery-operated vehicle and asked for a hefty sum for its release.
Being moved by the heart-rending video clip, Poriborton Foundation founder Barrister Ahsan Habib Bhuiyan decided to help the distressed rickshaw-puller.
Rafique was later given Tk50,000 from the Zakat fund of the foundation, with which the he has planned to open a small shop in his village.
Last year, after seeing the photo on social media of a rickshaw-puller named Fazlur Rahman wailing while his rickshaw was being taken away by a crane, Ahsan Habib managed to track him down and provided him with necessary assistance to end his ordeals.
Asked what had prompted him to become an active citizen from a passive netizen, Ahsan said: “Social media has the power to spur movements and change mindsets... connecting our philanthropic intents to causes that need them is what Poriborton Foundation is about.”
Talking about the effectiveness of social media platforms, he said that his organization had been able to provide 5,000 families with groceries and feed 30,000 underprivileged people during last Ramadan by collecting donations through Facebook.
