Banner Advertiser

Friday, May 16, 2008

[mukto-mona] Urgent Help Needed


VAB
Volunteers Association for Bangladesh
 
(Dedicated to providing education and skill training to the underprivileged)
 
 
Head Office: 122 Taxter Road, Irvington, New York 10533; Tel:  914-591-8635
Website: www.vabonline.org; Email to President: Arahman10@aol.com  
Bangladesh Office: 107/1 Kakrail, Dhaka; Tel: 934-0316 & 833-1641  
---------------------------------------------------------
 
May 15, 2008
                                                                                                                               
Dear Friends,
                                          
I bring to you the Volunteers Association for Bangladesh (VAB) which operates as a non-profit organization in the United States, while in Bangladesh it operates as a registered non-governmental organization (NGO). The principal mission of VAB is to provide quality education and skill training to the underprivileged youths in the rural areas of Bangladesh, where the need is great. This is currently being accomplished by providing scholarships to the deserving students, training to the teachers, and supplies to the schools including computers. 
 
VAB has been in operation since 2000, and to date over 15000 students have been positively impacted by its programs. It has provided direct scholarships to 3000 school students to cover the cost of tuition, books, and supplies' including uniforms, trained 400 teachers in English, Math and Science, supplied 15 schools with books, computers and science equipment, and has set up 72 computer-learning centers. The computer centers are managed separately by different chapter, VAB New Jersey, through individual sponsorship program.
 
Initially, our concentration was on secondary education. However, having been inspired by students' achievements in SSC exam, in 2005 we extended our scholarship program to also cover higher secondary education. Currently, we support 201 students in college, and expect that such scholarships will rise as we make further progress.
 
Our budget for last year was $60,000, and this year's target is $75,000 to $100,000. We have been meeting our obligation by raising funds through personal contributions. As we mainly work as volunteers, we have been able to keep our overhead cost to about 5 % of budget -- a significant achievement by any standard. For additional information on VAB activities, please visit our website.
 
We have now come to a critical situation. Due to the recent devastating flood and cyclone in Bangladesh, followed by the affect of global food shortages, the demand for our help has increased tremendously. Accordingly, we are earnestly seeking your generous support to meet our growing obligation. You can support a student in college with as little as $150 a year, or give a bigger or smaller contribution.  Any contribution you make will be greatly appreciated, and remember all contributions are tax deductible.
 
Your contribution may be sent in VAB's name to our Head Office. Thank you for your support.
 
 
Professor Mahfuz R. Chowdhury
Executive Director
Volunteers Association for Bangladesh
Email: mahfuz.chowdhury@liu.edu