• ঢাকা শুক্রবার
    ৩১ জানুয়ারি, ২০২৫, ১৮ মাঘ ১৪৩১

Sajib Khandakar, a dream hawker in Bangladesh !

প্রকাশিত: আগস্ট ৮, ২০২২, ১২:২৭ পিএম

Sajib Khandakar, a dream hawker in Bangladesh !

সিটি নিউজ

"I want a stranded child in Bangladesh not to be on the streets anymore. They are most vulnerable to climate change. We want to establish climate labs in all schools and colleges in Bangladesh and to engage all children and youth in training for climate development. Bangladesh will be a child and youth friendly country in the world".- Sajib Khandokar Junaid.

During his childhood, Sajib Khandokar Junaid worked for children's rights, especially child education, child engagement, prevention of child abuse, prevention of child marriage and climate change. Then Sajib saw that the children of Bangladesh are the most neglected because they are not voters and have less opportunity to speak.




In 2004, he participated in Save the Children Australia National Children's Rally as a child representative and from there his interest in child development grew. There was a total gathering of 1000 children from Bangladesh, where children from all levels of the country participated. In 2006, he served as the National Children Task’s Force (NCTF) Barisal District President and Central Committee President for 2007-2008.


He signed and sent the report produced by children of Bangladesh to the United Nations. From the very beginning,Sajib wrote about children and that is why Barisal regional newspaper daily 'Satya Sangbad' regularly published reports on children. He regularly worked at UNICEF and Match Line Media Center (MMC) as a child journalist from 2008-2010. In 2009, he received the Meena Media Award for Child Journalism organised by UNICEF. These experiences finally made him feel in 2012 that he would work for the development of children and youths, especially underprivileged children and youths.




Bringing together the child and youth community across Barisal, he created the platform IYCM which works to increase child and youth initiative and participation in policy making at local, regional and national levels on child and youth development, gender equality, life skills, child marriage climate crisis. This is how Youth Change Maker started. Since its formation in 2012, Youth Change Maker has organised and achieved many achievements, including Sajib’s vital contributions. His organisation is highlighting the problems of children and youth by regularly monitoring them.


IYCM is now operating in 16 districts of all divisions of Bangladesh. Their total registered membership is more than twenty thousand, there are more than 600 ambassadors from 75 countries of the world.


Since its inception, IYCM has been working towards making Bangladesh a child and youth friendly country. Children and young people's rights and issues are highlighted as determinants. Currently, International Youth Change Maker is conducting activities in 16 districts of Bangladesh by forming teams separately. The district teams are working in their districts for disaster relief, raising public awareness, planting trees, helping the poor, distributing Eid gifts to the helpless and improving the quality of life of stranded children.


Besides, Campaign for UNCRC, Climate Justice for Bangladesh, My Body My Rights, SDG Campaign for All, Life Skills for Youth and Satya School for Underprivileged Children. These programs are going on all over the country. Since 2018, Narayanganj district team has been bearing all relevant expenses including education of 60 children and providing them with all-out support. The work of the organisation did not stop during the corona epidemic. Since 2019, the organisation has been distributing regular food to the poor through an event called Youth Action in the Covid-19 pandemic during the worst days of the Corona epidemic. In 2021, they distributed about twenty thousand masks in 16 districts of Bangladesh throughout the month of July. On 12 August of 2021 during International Youth Day, the Deputy Commissioners of all districts of the country gave a memorandum to the Honourable Prime Minister to declare the year 2022 as the 'Child and Youth 2023 ‘year.


The activities of International Youth Change Maker are not limited only to Bangladesh. There are about six  hundred volunteers in more than seventy countries of the world who are working for the society from their respective places. The Dhaka district committee representative of International Youth Change-maker (IYCM )in Bangladesh also said that they are going to organize the Children's Rights Charter Olympiad very soon and have sent a proposal to UNICEF Bangladesh in this regard.




International Youth Change Makers also has a solid reputation as a voluntary organisation. They are also getting the honour of representing Bangladesh in various international sessions. IYCM Barisal district unit member Rabeya Bashari Meena was selected as the best child journalist at the media award ceremony. That same year, IYCM founder Sajib Khandokar Junaid  participated in a five day youth consultation in Bangkok organised by Planned Parenthood Federation South Asia Regional Office (IPPF SARO) in collaboration with Bangladesh Family Planning Board (FPAB). Besides, he represented IYCM at the SAARC youth conference. Represented IYCM on behalf of youth at International Climate Conferences held in Poland in 2018 and Spain in 2019. Recently the organisation received Bangladesh Digital Social Innovation Award 2021. In 10 years, about 1.5 million people have been part of various activities of IYCM.


IYCM wants to make Bangladesh a stranded children-free and climate-protecting role model by 2030. The organisation is working to play a role in protecting the rights of 3 million people. children and adolescents by bringing them under the life skills program.


Sajib Khandokar Junaid said, 'I and my organisation believe that children and youth are not only the future but also the present. We want to highlight the good deeds of children and youth of Bangladesh by networking with all the youth of the world. We will build a role model of climate protection with the youths of Bangladesh and we are trying to make Bangladesh a stranded children-free country by 2030, with no children living on the streets or spending the night on the streets. I want to work for the rest of my life to stop sexual abuse of all children in Bangladesh. Bangladesh will be a youth- and child-friendly country.'


HA


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