Voluntary work

Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world. Most of the people in this country live below the poverty line. The overall development of the country is needed to eradicate poverty. What is most needed is a massive improvement and expansion in agriculture and industry. I need a huge amount of money and labor for this work. There are a large number of people in Bangladesh who are mostly unemployed. If you want to give them jobs, I want employment opportunities. Employment will not increase unless there is expansion in agriculture and industry. That's why I want a lot of money. There is a great lack of money in our country. As a result, there is very little chance of earning money in return for labor. We have no speed without dependency. Again, even if financial assistance is received from abroad, the development work is not accelerated. In this case also there are obstacles step by step. So it is not possible to make us miserable even by relying on foreign aid. National development is possible only through voluntary work.

Importance of Voluntary Work: If the people of a poor and populous country like ours voluntarily come forward to donate labor, then progress in agriculture, industry and other fields of the country is possible in a short time. The importance of volunteerism is immense in our country. The work of various economic development projects across the country can never be carried out by salaried workers. There is a proverb in our country that the mindset of government employees or workers is mostly the same - ‘Sarkar-ka-mal, darya me-dhal. Because ‘ten sticks, one burden’. It takes time for people to take part in a work spontaneously, as soon as the work is done, if they hire workers with wages, even if it means paying a lot of money. Progress depends on the number of workers. The number of workers is always limited. But there is no limit to people's voluntary work. Seeing one's work can inspire many.

Volunteerism for economic development: Irrigation is the most important for agriculture. In order to make the irrigation project necessary for agriculture self-sufficient, river renovation, canal excavation etc. can be done on an voluntary basis on an electrifying basis. Besides, construction of city and village roads, clearing of bushes and unclean places, renovation of Hajamja pond and fish farming through cooperatives can be done there. Most national development has been possible in the socialist countries on the basis of volunteerism. If the people take part in the work of the country through voluntary work, it is possible to improve the country without taking the risk of borrowing huge amount of foreign currency. By using voluntary work for national welfare, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) established the status of patriotism and labor among the fierce barbaric Arab nation 1500 years ago.

Call for Voluntary Work: Recognizing the importance of voluntary work in our country too, the government has called upon the people to come forward for road construction, canal digging, tree planting, river re-excavation, ponds, ditches, canals, beel repair etc. This call has yielded the expected results. Responding to the call of the government, people from all walks of life in different parts of the country have already come forward for volunteer work. This has made it possible to build hundreds of miles of roads in a short period of time. As a result of the reforms, several rivers have started flowing again. Many uncultivated lands have been brought under cultivation.

Contribution of Volunteerism: In our country, it has been possible to accomplish many tasks that were considered impossible through volunteerism. Excavation of 'Chitra Nadi' at Churadanga in Kushtia and excavation of old Brahmaputra river at Mymensingh have been completed. Excavation of Sundarpur canal in Comilla district, construction of roads in Barisal and Tangail has been made possible due to voluntary work.

Poverty alleviation and eradication of illiteracy: About 80% of the people in our country still live in villages. Most of the people in the village are deprived of the light of education. Due to lack of education, they are blind even if they have eyes. Volunteerism is very beneficial in eradicating poverty and illiteracy of rural people. It will be possible to increase the rate of education in the country if the educated villagers take the initiative of adult education and vocational education through voluntary work. The people of the village will get financial prosperity by utilizing vocational education. Therefore, it is possible to work on a cooperative basis. For adult education, it is necessary to set up night adult education centers and vocational educational institutions. Various government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are also providing huge assistance in these works. School teachers, meritorious students of school and college can jointly teach at night adult education center on voluntary basis. If the cottage industry or handicrafts are known and taught to the village women and others in vocational education institutions, the way will be paved for the financial advancement of the village women.

Patriotism and development: Voluntary work is to take part in the welfare and development work of the country without any remuneration. Volunteerism can be called public service. Volunteer donors can be called social workers or patriots. During the great war of independence and liberation, the young and old of our country took part in the war of liberation. Some have taken part in guerrilla warfare, have been martyred or have been maimed. Those who have been martyred have given their precious lives for the country. Those who have been crippled have donated an organ of their own for the country. Those who have voluntarily given so much in self-awareness are patriots. Inspired by their patriotism, all of us should work selflessly in the interest of the country, for the development of the country. Our country is rife with corruption. As a result, the development of the country is lagging behind. The loss is to the country and the people. It is not possible for us to rise above the poverty line. We should all think of the welfare of the country instead of indulging in greed and selfishness. In order to take part in the development of the country, one has to jump into the work of the country inspired by the spirit of liberation war. It is possible to accelerate the overall progress of the country and the nation on the basis of voluntary work.

Conclusion: Voluntary work is very fruitful in the national welfare work. This truth has been realized by many today. Just as Dr. Muhammad Yunus's Grameen Bank is building a solid ground for poor women to stand on their feet, so too should we move forward in the country's development work in the country's interest. Volunteering not only solves problems, but also extends the hand of unity, brotherhood, affection and cooperation among all classes of people in the country, extends the heart and above all develops the consciousness of homeland.