Giving Back To Our Community In Dhaka

We like to say that charity and humanitarianism are two of the guiding principles of SEBPO, and we recently took them with us to our home city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. In Dhaka, we continue our ongoing support of the Shine Foundation, a 100% charity-based nonprofit organization that strives to support and help the impoverished people of the city’s poorest neighborhoods. For our team, corporate social responsibility goes beyond typical company standards. It includes activities that further social good outside of the working world.

The Shine Foundation aids in the development and implementation of first-class programs that effectively provide assistance to humans in need. The organization’s team works closely with the students at the Iqra School, which is operated by Asma Monem. Asma is the wife of our chairman, A.S.M. Mohiuddin Monem, and the sister of our general manager, Akram Hossain.

The Iqra School is located in an extremely poor neighborhood, even by Dhaka standards. For the children of Dhaka, attending the Iqra School is the only opportunity to receive an education. It is also one of the only dependable ways for them to get fed, as the school provides lunch every day, as well as milk twice a week. While our team was visiting just last month, we handed out school supplies and small gifts to their students, with the hopes of bringing smiles to their faces. To say we succeeded is an understatement – it was truly a life-changing experience for all of us.

“Being a part of my company’s community outreach program deep inside the poorest parts of Bangladesh changed me as a person,” said one employee. “Seeing those beautiful children with so few material possessions, yet so full of joy and hope, made me reassess my own life and what is really important.”

Our previous CSR initiatives have also taken place in Dhaka. During Winter 2014, we gave over 400 blankets and clothing items to the women and children in Chapra Village, located on the outskirts of Dhaka. In Spring 2015, we provided milk to 400 children for a one-week period. This outreach helped to alleviate some nutritional deficiencies and curb malnutrition in the Dhaka community.

We are committed to being an active part of the community and offering assistance to those in need. If you’d like to learn more about the Shine Foundation, click here.

Header Image — Masum-al-hasan Rocky, Smiling face of a Bangladeshi child, CC BY-SA 4.0