Step Up!

If you’ve ever wondered community service was a ‘job’ meant for a certain group of people known as ‘social workers’, you couldn’t have been more wrong. Community service isn’t about making huge, tangible difference which can translate into a certificate that glorifies you; it starts when you stop thinking about yourself and start thinking about people around you. It can happen anytime, anywhere and with anyone. It comes with an inner selflessness of giving, without considering a grand return.

Many people desperate to improve their transcripts often come to me asking for a place in a community service program. When I recommend simple things such as teaching maidservants at home how to write their names or stop their friends from littering streets; they pretty much, most of the time, don’t get it. Just because it won’t somehow earn them a presentable certificate or perhaps, a ready-made proof that they can show to ‘people from college’, they don’t consider it worth the effort.

Bangladesh is a country that is in need of opportunities. Opportunities that can be created by the very people who live in this country. The very concept that we, as free-living citizens owe something to our country may sound clichéd; but it’s still our responsibility. A friend of mine once said, “If you were a part of U.S, you’re already rolling on the development wheel; but as a citizen of Bangladesh, you get a chance to pioneer development, which gives you a lot of other things to do than just charity.”

If you can spare an hour everyday for around 6 months, you can actually teach your illiterate maidservant to write her name and do basic arithmetic using pen-and-paper. If you can save around 50% of your allowance consistently for a year, you’ll have enough money to sponsor the education of your driver’s daughter for a while. If you can convince your parents, cousins or friends to give a certain amount, believe it or not, you can actually sponsor till her SSC exams. If you meet a picchi fakir on your way to class, instead of getting rid of him with a Tk.2 note, you can convince him to go to school and thus, secure him a more productive future. I did this, so I know it’s possible. Instilling hope and courage, and teaching underprivileged kids to dream is probably one of the best services you can give to your community.
“You cannot develop people. You must allow people to develop themselves”, said Julius Nyerere, the first President of Tanzania. This can only be achieved if people start believing in themselves and dare to dream.

It doesn’t stop here. You can raise awareness about acid-victims through school projects or recycle paper at your own home. One of my friends re-uses the back of printed A4s to write down telephone numbers, addresses and just about anything short; hence saving a large amount of paper. You can turn your monitor off when downloading large files to save electricity and remember to switch the lights off before leaving the room. You can make sure the water taps are closed properly after washing your hands to ensure no water is wasted from your house.

These are only examples. There are tons of other things you can do, starting from this minute that contributes to the making of a better Bangladesh. I listen to music because I love it; I will do whatever that I can for my people because I love my country. My efforts might be so small that I’m never noticed or recognized, but I know I’m making a difference, maybe to the life of one person. It makes me smile and my rewards are the smiles or expressions of gratitude or eye-sparkling emotions of hopes that I get from helping people around me. That’s motivating enough for me to try. And like Captain Planet always said it, “The power is yours!”