Dhaka Youth Club and Mohajon Foundation established the Manobik Store in Bongshal to help underprivileged families during the global coronavirus crisis. With the slogan, bhalo thakun, bhao rakhun, the initiative was funded from their own accounts and maintained by the members of the club and the foundation.

In these dire times, Bangladesh lacks proper healthcare equipment and necessary protective gear for doctors and other medical professionals.

Offices, malls and educational institutions have been shut down across the country, in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Yet, many are unaware of such rigorous measures, especially social distancing. With an aim to raise awareness on the contagious virus, a group of young people from Bogura created a Facebook group, titled ‘Corona and Situation of Bogura’, last month.

Owing to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, a shutdown was announced in Bangladesh recently. This shutdown has taken a serious toll on the underserved communities.

As Bangladesh copes with the coronavirus pandemic with a shutdown, a large number of daily wage earners have lost their earning sources. These marginalised and underserved groups are barely getting by. Rikshaw pullers, technicians, plumbers, street vendors, and street food sellers among others are at vulnerable positions at the moment. Mission Save Bangladesh, in association with The Daily Star, Sheba XYZ and The Daily Samakal, took a commendable step to support these people.

A free transport service for caregivers, including doctors and nurses, will start operating from April 1 so that medical service providers can go to hospitals from their homes in a fast and convenient way, as Bangladesh copes with the coronavirus pandemic.

A group of university students have been distributing groceries amongst underserved communities in the capital, as of last week. The countrywide lockdown has brought hardships to families that live from hand to mouth. With Covid-19 crippling nations around the globe, as anticipated by economists, it is turning out to be a massive threat, expanding the economic inequality, putting the labour market under bleak circumstances.

Mentor Moshai is a development and lifestyle platform for children. With an aim of encouraging kids to be innovative, the team regularly posts content related to dreams, mental health, technology, communication, internet safety, cybercrimes, social studies, interactive quizzes, interesting facts about environmental and societal matters and answers to different questions starting with ‘why’. They share the content daily on their YouTube channel and Facebook page. Interestingly, all of their content creators are children.

In the face of a shortage of hand sanitisers amid rising fears of the coronavirus in Bangladesh, several leading universities produced their own hand sanitisers, not just to meet internal requirements, but also for distributing some for free amongst the masses. Before educational institutes were shut down owing to the pandemic, individuals from North South University, Independent University, Bangladesh, BUET, Dhaka University, Daffodil International University, Comilla University and Chittagong University produced their own hand sanitisers.

Our comic for this week, enjoy!

A commendable initiative

Dr Md Luthfor Rahman, a veterinary surgeon at Central Veterinary Hospital and Afzal Khan, widely known as Robin Hood – The Animal Rescuer, recently raised awareness on the Coronavirus pandemic, and debunked some of the most circulated myths about the issue.

CARTOON PEOPLE COMICS

Gorbomala is an interactive digital book that represents different aspects of Bangladesh, through the 52 Bangla letters. For example,

The Joy Bangla Concert 2020, held at Army Stadium on March 7, commemorated the spirit and courage relayed to our countrymen nearly five decades ago by the Father of the Nation, through his historic speech on March 7, 1971. The speech inspired our people to prepare for a war of independence amid widespread reports of armed mobilisation by West Pakistan.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Fellowship Announcement 2020-21

Bidyanondo Foundation, a non-profit social welfare organisation, has been restlessly working for providing basic facilities to underprivileged communities. From providing basic needs to hygiene materials to changing lifestyles of socially ignored groups, they have been actively working over the years.

With the theme, ‘Delivering a common future’, Commonwealth Day 2020 was celebrated worldwide recently. This year, the Commonwealth highlighted how the 54 member countries in the Commonwealth family are 'Innovating, Connecting and Transforming' to help achieve some of their biggest goals, like protecting natural resources and boosting trade.

Melissa Roy has made a record of visiting 193 countries across the world at the age of 34. The passionate traveller was born in the USA. Her father, Shubhash Chandra Roy, is from Netrokona. Melissa, who is also a model and actor by profession, completed her world tour by coming to father’s homeland, Bangladesh. She visited Dhaka, Netrokona, Gazipur, Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram. We caught up with the traveller to find out more about her aspirations.

Awhona Rahman made history as the winner of the first ever Women’s Bodybuilding Championship, organised by Bangladesh Bodybuilding Federation. Currently a twelfth grader at Bir Shrestha Noor Mohammad School and College, she aspires to represent Bangladesh in international platforms.