Awards are the marks of recognition and encouragement given in honour of any special achievement in certain categories, which also signify the credibility and speciality of a person or any organization. Among all the prestigious awards recognizing deserving individuals and entities across the world, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often referred to as the "Nobel Prize of Asia" stands in today's world as a very special, exclusive and significant one. The award was initiated as an annual badge of honour created to commemorate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of honesty in administration, fearless service to the people, and realistic idealism within a democratic society. Established in 1957 by the New York-based Rockefeller Brothers Fund in cooperation with the Filippino Government, the Ramon Magsaysay Award celebrates the value of integrity, courage, and selfless service of Asian individuals impacting Asian landscapes. There is a reason behind elaborating on awards in this write-up, especially the Ramon Magsaysay Award in particular, as Korvi Rakshand, revered for his social activities as the founder of JAAGO Foundation, has been nominated for the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award in the Emergent Leadership category. With this year's award, Korvi Rakshand joins the distinguished list of 344 outstanding individuals and organisations whose selfless service has offered their societies, Asia, and the world, by offering successful solutions to some of the most intractable problems of human development. JAAGO Foundation Founder Korvi Rakshand wins Ramon Magsaysay Award for dedication to education, social change Through achieving this badge of honour, he also joined the prestigious Hall of Fame of 13 Bangladeshis who won the award in the past. The list includes prominent scientist Firdausi Qadri (2021), environmentalist and social activist Syeda Rizwana Hasan (2012), Founder and Executive Director of Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) AHM Noman Khan (2010), eminent journalist and Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman (2005), eminent educationist Abdullah Abu Sayeed (2004), prominent social worker Angela Gomes (1999), revered village society reformer Mohammad Yeasin (1988), Co-Founder of the Notre Dame College in Dhaka Father Richard William Timm (1987), legendary pharmacist and Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury (1985), Nobel Laureate and founder of Grameen Bank Dr Mohammad Yunus (1984), Brac founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed (1980) and Tahrunnesa Abdullah in 1978, recognized for her pioneering role as a social reformer for Muslim women in society. From educating a little group of children at the capital's Rayer Bazaar slum to being nominated for the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award, Korvi Rakshand has been leading a revolutionary social transformation all over Bangladesh. For an afternoon chat to deep dive into Korvi Rakshan's role as a journeyman, Dhaka Courier recently visited his office at JAAGO's Banani headquarters in the capital. The entire office setting in the complex redirects as a memory lane of JAAGO's monumental journey for the past 16 years in the country, and within the short office tour and an exclusive interview with DC, Korvi Rakshand elaborated on the eventual past, present and future state of his esteemed organization. "The journey of JAAGO Foundation began in 2007 at the Rayer Bazaar slum in the capital, with the initial goal of teaching English to underprivileged children totally free of cost - because we thought this would help them conquer the language barriers in their next career steps, be it inside or outside the country. We were amazed to see the response of those 17 children as they asked about promotions to the next class, which made us realise that they envisioned our initiative as a school, and that led us to begin our first school in the Rayer Bazaar slum. Our efforts began to get recognized by society through several of our activities, but we realised the need to expand our efforts beyond Dhaka. We modelled a curriculum integration of both classroom-based and remote education that tremendously brought success in terms of educating children, especially in the difficult times during the pandemic, and now we are focusing on mainstream quality education and bridging the learning gaps with skill-based education to students who are unable to complete traditional studies. At present, JAAGO works with five focus areas - Education, Youth, Women, Climate Change and Governance, operated by more than 600 employees and more than fifty thousand volunteers across the country." JAAGO schools showcase 22 projects at Annual Science Fair The reason behind selecting the name: "In Bengali, the name 'Jaago' redirects to make someone wake up from sleep. Education is the light beam for society to get up and shine bright, and we consider it our responsibility to initiate the much-needed wake-up call with education. The bold, capitalised wording of JAAGO redirects as an invitation to everyone, to join our movement with love, support and contributions. The vibrant yellow colour is most commonly recognised as the colour of friendship, and that is what we do. We bridge the gap in society as its dedicated friend." On 'Volunteer for Bangladesh': Under Rakshand's visionary leadership, the JAAGO Foundation also initiated the Volunteer for Bangladesh (VBD) program in 2011. VBD has become a youth movement involving more than 50,000 leaders actively working for social betterment. "Although the initial aim and vision of the JAAGO Foundation was to focus on children and education, our responsibility increased upon witnessing the enthusiasm of the youth. We diversified our efforts, addressing various other issues including youth development and women's empowerment and eventually established the 'Volunteers for Bangladesh' (VBD) to bring together proactive individuals who could collaborate and contribute their energy and dedication to our activities. In VBD, our volunteers elect their local leaders and the power is completely decentralised to ensure the desired performances at the grassroots level." Winning the award: "I was travelling and was at an airport when I received a WhatsApp text from an unknown number. The person introduced herself as Susan Afan, President of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, and wanted to initiate a video call. Initially, I assumed that she was going to discuss someone else, and it was really surprising to know when they informed me that I got selected for this year's Ramon Magsaysay Award. Turned out that they have been following the activities of JAAGO for the last five years, and knowing all these has been pretty surreal to me." The present and future: "In 2020, we obtained NGO licensing, enabling us to collaborate with various international organizations. Currently, we partner with organizations such as UNICEF, USAID, and FCDO, and many donors prefer to remain anonymous. At Jaago, anyone can sponsor a child's schooling by contributing BDT 2,000 each month. We introduced an exclusive scholarship program for women students in public universities, to ease their daily lives and economic conditions. Launched last year, we managed to help 100 students and have enlisted 160 students for 2023." "Accolades are obviously inspiring, but personally I think this award will help us thrive with more accountability. I would really consider myself successful when I see that our work motivates the youth to believe in their capacity to bring about change, and I firmly believe that our youths are that capable," Korvi Rakshand told DC, ending the conversation with gratitude. Read more: When local communities unite to co-create a better city: Jhenaidah shows the way

Korvi Rakshand, founder of JAAGO Foundation, has been named one of the winners of the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award. Read more: Banglalink wins Ookla Award for the 7th consecutive time The visionary founder of JAAGO Foundation and Volunteer for Bangladesh, has been honoured with the prestigious 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award in the Emergent Leadership category. Read more: Taskin wins Sheikh Kamal National Sports Award Often referred to as the "Nobel Prize of Asia", the award recognises exceptional contributions in various fields, from public service to social innovation. Korvi Rakshand has been honoured with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his unwavering dedication to education and social change. Read more: Dr Qadri wins Magsaysay Award for developing life-saving vaccines

A national dialogue on "Fear of Violence" was held in Dhaka Wednesday. Policymakers, law enforcers, and representatives from NGOs, INGOs, and youths from different parts of the country were present. The national dialogue aimed to discuss the situation around fear of violence, how it affects one's daily life, and how to address the situation nationally. Kashfia Feroz, director (girls' rights) at Plan International Bangladesh, moderated the discussion. One of the panellists of the discussion Md Muhibuzzaman, additional secretary at the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, said: "The government has taken initiatives and involved women in all of its systems. We are moving towards transformation, sharing gender-defined responsibilities." Taslima Yesmin, associate professor of law at the University of Dhaka, highlighted the improvement of the Infrastructural system. She said, "We must ensure a rehabilitation system for the victims."MH Tanshen, country representative of the Malala Foundation, said: "We need collaborative space in educational institutes. We need to have quality teachers through proper training. Furthermore, the teaching methods of the teachers need to improve around fear of violence." Kamrun Nahar, member of Naripokkho, said: "We want freedom; we do not need protection." She also emphasised involving more youths and government officials in the process of challenging fear of violence. Maleka Banu, general secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, encouraged the youths to challenge the difficult situations they face. According to her, youths need to come forward and stand up for themselves whenever they face any violence. Kashfia said: "Not only violence but also the fear of violence is a huge challenge for young people. By eliminating the fear, youths will be able to fully develop their potential." To build capacity and sensitisation among the youths about challenging and conquering the fear of violence, Plan International Bangladesh and JAAGO Foundation launched a campaign on International Women's Day 2022. The campaign "Challenging Fear of Violence – Shohingshotar Bhoy ar Noy'' was designed to raise mass awareness among youths in Dhaka, Barishal, Rangpur and Cox's Bazar.Also read: Nationwide youth campaign starts 'challenging fear of violence'

Korvi Rakshand has been honoured with "Commonwealth Point of Light Award" for his exceptional voluntary services helping young people take part in volunteering. “It is such an honour for me to receive the Commonwealth Point of Light Award. I am earnestly grateful to Her Majesty the Queen as the Head of the Commonwealth for the recognition I have received for my work," he said. Korvi said it is truly amazing to win such a prestigious award and able to represent the work of our volunteers. "Our 40,000 volunteers throughout Bangladesh have been doing amazing works to develop their community, this award shows that their hard work and dedication is significant," he said. Read: Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition: Bangladesh’s Raakin wins ‘Bronze Award’ Korvi hoped that ‘JAAGO Foundation’ and ‘Volunteer for Bangladesh’ will keep continuing doing amazing work to create a better society and keep inspiring others to join in this great cause. The Queen has recognized Korvi representing Bangladesh as the 181st Commonwealth Point of Light. British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson congratulated Korvi on his outstanding work.  In a message he said, “My warmest congratulations to Korvi Rakshand on his Points of Light award. As I have seen for myself in a Jaago school in a poor community in Dhaka, his contribution to improving access to quality education and efforts to inspire Bangladeshi young people are outstanding." Read Bangladesh committed to media freedoms 'in Commonwealth and beyond': Muna Tasneem Dickson said he is delighted that this award further strengthens the British-Bangla  ties and the spirit of the Commonwealth in Bangladesh. The Commonwealth is a diverse community of 54 nations that work together to promote prosperity, democracy and peace. The Heads of Government meeting brought together leaders from all the 54 Member countries to reaffirm common values, address shared global challenges and agree how to work to create a better future for all citizens, especially young people. Voluntary service is a vital part of this agenda, which is why The Queen has chosen to recognise outstanding volunteers across the Commonwealth in this special way, said the British High Commission in Dhaka. Read Bangladesh elected to IMSO Assembly, Commonwealth Foundation Grants Committee

JAAGO Foundation, in collaboration with Urmi Group, launched a COVID-19 vaccination awareness campaign with the slogan “Shurokkhatei Rokkha” (Safety through Protection) which will run for 8 days.

Artists, animators, and cartoonists have shared their views on how they are making the best use of their lives within four walls of home amid coronavirus epidemic keeping it in mind that every cloud has a silver lining.

The Fourth National Youth Conference – 2020 organised by Jaago Foundation began on Wednesday at Long Beach Hotel in the district.

The Moheshkhali Island, a popular destination for tourists, has now been transformed into a digitalised locality with modern facilities. In some cases, it is more advanced than some other regions of the country.

A seminar titled “The Future We Want- Promoting Youth in Civic Engagement, Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship” was held in the city recently with the aim of helping young people to reach their full potential.