Smoke filtered through the air of the ramshackle dwelling that stood among hundreds of other identical shanties deep in the bowels of Rayer Bazar. Five or six teenagers laze about in a drugged stupor, taking advantage of the unattended house. Among them sat the dweller of the house, eight-year-old Kawsar. While his mother toils away at her day-job, working to bring food to the table of this small family, Kawsar spends his time getting doped with the ruffians of the slum.

One day at school, Kawsar's teacher noticed several scars and puncture wounds across his small arms along with some other visible symptoms of drug abuse. A volunteer teacher of the school took Kawsar to a medical center to get treatment.

Today, Kawsar leads a healthy, educated and, most importantly, drug-free life. Today, Kawsar plays alongside other children of his age. You can see his smiles reflecting the hope in his bright eyes and hear the pure joy in his voice as he says, 'Thank you JAAGO.'

There are more than 33 million children in Bangladesh who live under the poverty line. They can be seen on streets all over the capital city, tired, hungry and, more often than not, exploited. Often these street urchins become involved in unsavory and dangerous professions, forced to do whatever it takes to put food in their bellies. As they grow up, they are absorbed into the tide of destitution that plagues this small nation. Latter generations fall in step, unable to break out of the mould. This creates a viscious cycle that has held most of Bangladesh in its grasp for decades.

Everyday, these children in Bangladesh lose a little of their childhood to poverty. Instead of going to school and playing with their friends, they work day and night to earn a few meager crumbs. Everyday, these children work hard and long to get nowhere in life.

JAAGO Foundation is a movement initiated by a group of young dedicated volunteers to break this vicious cycle and set into motion the wheels of growth and prosperity for the poverty-stricken people of Bangladesh. We focus mainly on battling illiteracy and malnutrition in children and on rehabilitating them to better living environments and social conditions. We are currently dedicated to conducting activities to provide more long-term and sustainable benefits to children from families who are living below the poverty line.

Help us build a better Bangladesh.