Like in many places of the country, youths in Netrakona's Kendua upazila have also come together with a helping hand for the needy amid the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus pandemic.

A group of youths in Kendua is doing as much as they can with their own funds to help out the destitute and the disadvantaged who are back in economic crunch after the government recently imposed various   restrictions to curb the second wave of the virus.

More than two dozen youths under the umbrella of voluntary social organisation 'Trishitopur', established in 2019, have teamed up to provide Iftar during the month of Ramadan for the low-income group of the society.

If the recipient is unwilling to be indebted to the volunteers for the loving gesture, she or he can make a token payment of Tk 2 for each packet of the Iftar, said organisers of Trishitopur.

Samorendra Biswa Sarma, a journalist from the area, said at a time when the poor and the underprivileged are passing each day in uncertainty without any earnings, the local youths have been feeding them in the Iftar time -- an initiative that deserves heartiest appreciation.

Speaking with this correspondent, Shakir Hossain Bhuiyan, president of Trishitopur, said that since its inception, the members of Trishitopur stood by the destitute in desperate times and they could not sit back this time around when the impoverished daily wage earners lost their scope of work amid Covid-19 movement restrictions.    

Their limited funds, collected from members and well-wishers, allow them to prepare only 100 Iftar packets every day, at a cost of Tk 20 each and their volunteers distribute the packets in different parts of the upazila, said Shakir, who holds honours and master's degrees from Jagannath University.

Arif Ahmed Riad, secretary of the organisation, said their 27 volunteers, including five girls, split in three teams and work on alternative days to prepare and distribute the food.

They also distribute winter clothes and Eid essentials to the needy every year, he added.

Honours final-year student Ridheka Jahan Rani, a member of Trishitopur, said that after the coronavirus pandemic broke out last year, they have been conducting campaigns to raise health awareness and distribute face masks and informative flyers among locals.