JAAGO Annual Iftar Party 2011

Sunday, 21 August 2011

With its traditional congregation of students, volunteers and distinguished guests, JAAGO celebrated its largest ever Annual Iftar Party on the 20th of August, 2011.

This year we broke our custom of hosting the party inside the school premises and instead shifted the location to a field opposite the school building to accommodate the large number of visitors expected.

Kids were seated in the same tables across their respective sponsors and even some of the important guests. Volunteers upheld JAAGO's custom of forming a chain to pass plates of food to the tables. With the hard work and swiftness of our volunteers, the tables were well set half an hour before the prayers began.

For the kids in the Reception Class, this was their very first JAAGO Iftar party. It was obvious from the way they toyed eagerly with their food before the Azan that they couldn't wait to dig in. Some, like Yasin from the Reception Class, wearing a pink Panjabi, even dressed up especially for the occasion!

Older students, on the other hand, are getting used to the increasing magnitude of our Iftar celebrations. 'It keeps getting bigger and bigger every year. I just love the food, specially the dates.' said Rumki of Class 1.

After the feast began, students and guests chatted with each other cheerfully while enjoying the food. Some of the kids spent a lot of time catching up with their respective sponsors.

Korvi Rakshand, Founder of JAAGO, took this opportunity to explain the mission behind JAAGO's volunteer wing, Volunteer for Bangladesh (VBD), after the feast ended. Videos of VBD's recent events, such as the visit to the cancer ward of the Dhaka Shishu Hospital and the latest celebration - The Great Kindness Challenge, had the audience emotionally stirred.

Inspired, some of the guests also volunteered to say a few words. "When I was asked by my friends to attend this Iftar party today, I thought 'Why am I going to Rayer Bazaar?' I realized that if I had not come here today, my life would have been in vain," declared the General Secratary of Bangladesh Association of Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA), Mr. Ali Haider Chowdhury. "As a freedom fighter, I'd like to say that JAAGO is doing a great job of arousing patriotism in the youth of the nation, the same patriotism with which I fought in the liberation war of 1971."

His speech was followed by a few words from the Managing Director of Grameen Bank's Baybosa Bikash, Mrs. Saleha Begum.

A youngster from the audience had his own sentiment to add. "We are also the like the freedom fighters of Bangladesh. With an initiative like JAAGO, we are going to pull up the nation from a third world to a first world country."

Korvi took an initiative to also personally thank all the volunteers for their hard work in the program. "It is because of you guys that we had such a great time today." He acknowledged.

The volunteers lined up to form a group in front of the projector and on the count of five the guests and students showed their appreciation with an enthusiasic 'THANK YOU'. At Korvi's request, the audience and the volunteers sang "We shall overcome", while waving their arms in the air.

As the guests thanked the Founder and departed from the venue, our kids formed a queue to be collected by their parents. With joyous comments like "I had two jilapis!" or "I was shown in both the videos", they were updating their guardians of their participation. Anyone could tell by the excitement in them that our kids can't wait for the Iftar party next year.