The non-political voluntary social organization “Icche Forum” started its journey on June 1, 2016 in the hope of putting a smile on the face of some disadvantaged people in the society with the dedication of four youngsters, Anto, Masha, Asif and Rupa together.
The first part of the journey was not easy at all for the four young men Obstacles kept coming from various directions, but they did not give up The smiles on the faces of the underprivileged people of the society are the ones who are dearest to them. The longer the journey, the harder it is, but the four young men continue to spread their dreams among other young people in the community.
That’s how they got organized, and four years later, they’ve become the love organization of 30 young people. Just as an indomitable will is required to run an organization, so is money The volunteers of the forum from the very beginning basically deposit some money in the fund of the organization from their own hand expenses or extra expenses every month. They may be small in amount, but enough to make some people smile They may not be able to do much, but they try their best to stand by the backward people of the society.
When other young people in the society celebrate Eid or various festivals with their family or some special people But Icche Forum volunteers also rush to those festivals to share the joy of the festival with people who have someone to share their joy with. Icche Forum is a voluntary organization originally formed in Rajshahi city and has been working since its inception to bring smiles to the disadvantaged people of Rajshahi society.
The families of the current members of the forum and some of the older brothers and sisters have extended a helping hand in this work. Every year since the inception of the Icche Forum, the organization has distributed Iftar in Ramadan on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, the main festival of Muslims, as well as Eid items such as food and clothing as gifts to the underprivileged.
Later, Durga Pujo, the main festival of the traditional religion, also gives food and clothes to the underprivileged people of the traditional religion. The most interesting thing is that on the day of Eid-ul-Fitr when everyone is busy chatting with their families and friends, on this afternoon the members of Icche Forum give food to the disadvantaged children and hang out with them all afternoon.
Also, every winter, people go out at night with winter clothes for the cold-stricken people Asked about going out at night, Tahmid Hossain Anto, the forum’s founder, said it was an “exceptional step” to find those who really needed winter clothes. Even so, owning one is still beyond the reach of the average person. Our country is also shaken by the Corona epidemic that is going on all over the world this year From the beginning of this problem, the members of the forum have done various kinds of work at risk.
In March, they organized an awareness campaign against corona in two slum areas of Rajshahi A few days later, they distributed about 500+ masks and 100 pitch hand sanitizers among the pedestrians on their own initiative. Later, the lockdown started and Ramadan came again. At first they helped some people and distributed Iftar, but after a while it was not possible to stand by the helpless people with their own pockets.
Then the organization called on the people of different classes and professions of the society to come forward with them. Using the money collected properly, he visited the homes of 156 lower and lower middle class families and delivered a week’s worth of food as a gift. Their work comes on the page of Pure Frutica Juice, one of the bands of Bengal. Which they admire to many people.
The founder of the organization further said that not only the backward people but also the young generation of Rajshahi are organized for humanitarian and social activities. They have worked together many times with various other organizations. Icche Forum organized book fairs in 2016 and 2017 with Rajshahi Comedy Club and in 2020 on its own initiative keeping in mind the readers of Rajshahi. Which has recently gained appreciation from book lovers in central Rajshahi.
Other youths of Rajshahi also work as volunteers in the book fair They also have all the wonderful activities centered on different days or festivals. When the founder of the organization was asked about some of the achievements of the organization, he said that the greatest achievement is the love and good wishes of the people for the organization. The most important thing for them is the smiles on the faces of the backward people, which is one of the inspirations of their work.
The organization won the “Youth Excellence Award 2019” in November 2019 in Dhaka for their work. Organized by the Youth Club of Bangladesh and supported by the Foundation for People and UK Aid. Icche Forum is working to improve the living standards of the disadvantaged and backward people of Rajshahi. Some future plans have already been taken Among them are some special plans ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha Which is not possible for them alone.
So they want everyone by their side, big or small. Icche Forum founders and members dream of a hunger and poverty free Bangladesh They believe that through will power and unity they will one day reach their goal