Do you know, what is hunger? Hunger is that thing; just because you never thought about impurity rather seek for to eat the remains of another’s meal from a dustbin. Hunger is that thing, which makes you solicit to others. The very sensible issue can make you kill others. Does it seem so dreadful? Well, let’s change the scenario. Here, you will find a very affectionate one where a mother repeatedly warning her son to eat his food in time during the break time and if he does not then see how a mother scold to her son just because he grew thin day by day! Does it seem so tender-hearted? Yes! May be that is. Within a same country, in the same time there are two scenarios which contradict to each other but did you ever try to compare these two common scenarios for a while? May be! May be not!
Fie upon you! Not just upon you it’s for the youth who are keep silence though they have the strength to wipe out the dreadful scenario from the map. But where are they? The people who solicit to you because of hunger they are deprived from their basic rights. Responsibility, where it is now? To flare up these questions we the youth are came ahead. We have to face challenges every now and then. So, now we are united. International Youth Council Bangladesh (IYCB) tries to unite the youth power to tear up those pages where the history of injustice, grief, hunger is written. We are not afraid of. We continually face challenges, how we view them defines us! Do we choose to see the challenges as stepping-stones or as obstacles? If we choose to see them as obstacles, then the challenges we face will be viewed as problems. Problems that need to be overcome along with all the negative connotations associated with problems. We at IYCB however, choose to see challenges as stepping-stones as opportunities that we have encountered along the way for us to use, to "step on" so that we can achieve more, develop further and ultimately actualize more of our goals!
Among the many challenges that face us - let's focus on one. It is World Food Day 2011. Activista Bangladesh is working to spread awareness among the youth by arranging a campaign on 16th October at The Central Shahid Minar premises. Their aim is to create hunger free Bangladesh. This time they concerned about the women empowerment in agriculture. They announced it as ‘Women engaged in agriculture are farmers, we demand state recognition and equal rights”. And the slogan they tried to raise is “Up with justice, down with hunger”. International Youth Council Bangladesh (IYCB) and Bangladesh Youth Forum (BYF) are jointly partnered with Actionaid-Activista Bangladesh.
International Youth Council Bangladesh (IYCB) took the responsibility to cover up the promotion of this World Food Day 2011 campaign by arranging signature campaign on University of Dhaka. Covering two spots one on the premises of Arts building and another one on T.S.C where they placed their booth for collecting signatures both on banners and petition papers. IYCB collects more than 2000 signatures in this campaign. Well, where is the challenge doing such kind of things? The obstacles are come from the administrative level. IYCB has to compromise their selection of spot for placing the booth. Though they need to change their plan but not step backward. They have hope. Lot’s of hope. That hope took them to the flight of the latest step. Positive responses that make them to think with a new enthusiasm. So, here is the big challenge when there are obstacles but you are not feared. Well, after the signature campaign the grand event on 16th October was also a great challenge. Here, IYCB organizers work hard to unite their members to raise their voice once again to fight against injustice. They believe that, some day or other there would be no word named hunger available in Bangladesh. One thing, one scene would be common then that, everybody is well feed enough. Rally, candlelight procession, flash mob everything was just to get attraction from general was doing by youths. And be a part of that awareness build up event IYCB are making a great debut by joining there youth within a same bondage. That bondage once again remind of that quote “Many a little makes a mickle”.
We are all destined to make choices and those choices do largely control our actions. I am most fortunate and grateful that IYCB is filled with so many motivated people who make positive choices, which ultimately lead to so many meaningful and productive actions. We need to promise less and deliver more...every time. So, that’s why we believe “Youths are not the leader of tomorrow, they are the leaders of today”.
