It was in an afternoon right after Shab-e-quadar in 2019. My friend Chowdhury Fakrul Alam and I had a detailed conversation at the Gulshan Azad Mosque campus, and the discussion was about how we could kick off events like Ted Talk or the human library in Madaripur.
Before this discussion, Charu Shamim (Nazmul Shamim), Mehedi Shamim, Fakrul, and I discussed a new youth-led organization or platform in Madaripur to make people’s lives easier by using technology. Our discussion was not limited to our activities, mission, and vision; it even included deciding the name and logo. We titled our organization “Shokal,” Nazmul Shamim designed a logo for Shokal. We had several discussions in Urban Spoons Banani over mugs of tea.
Fakrul and I had a long, serious discussion. We decided to call another meeting with our other two friends as soon as possible to move ahead.
Then, after another discussion with the five of us, we got much more serious about stepping into reality. I came up with the idea to set up a computer lab with two or three computers in Madaripur, where marginalized youth will come and get skilled in computing and web browsing. All the members appreciated the idea, and I brought it to the next level by preparing a presentation on it.
Mohammad Chowdhury (Bipu) Bhaia lives in Texas, USA. He is a doctor by profession and a cousin brother of Fakrul. He has been a regular donor and well-wisher of Project Natun Jama and Project Schooling since 2012; we planned to share the idea with him. We shared the concept with Bipu Bhaia, and he liked it very much. He showed interest in donating two computers personally instantly.
Then, we started working on lab operations and budgets. We proposed and shared it with Bipu Bhai.
Days passed so fast. In January 2020, I went on a solo trip to India and Nepal, and during my journey, I made massive progress on the ICT lab operations and set up the lab plan.
By the first week of February, Wasimul Hossain Beyel (he left us in February 2023), Bhai, Mehedi Shamim, Fakrul, and Nazmul Shamim were all discussing the probable name for our youth-led organization. Suddenly, we started with ACT and elaborated on it with Actions Contributing to Transformation. We finalized the name on that evening, Actions Contributing to Transformation (ACT) Foundation. Then COVID-19 came in March 2020, and we got stuck in our plan.
By April 2020, we had started working differently. We created a Facebook group to raise awareness of the dos and don’ts during the COVID-19 lockdown, organized local youth to volunteer with the local government, managed food for needy families, and developed a doctor’s board to provide primary health care tips online. There were around 30 doctors in that group.
Due to the second lockdown in 2021, we all got to stay in Madaripur for two months. We set up a public book-sharing hub called “Alo” in Lakepar, Madaripur during that time. Alo received huge appreciation from the community and book readers. Our motto was to raise awareness of reading books regularly. Around 50,000 photos of Alo were uploaded on Facebook by community people. It was amazing!
Then, in partnership with the DC office in Madarpur, we built a platform to buy and sell cattle for Qurbani 2021. On 14 July 2021, Dr. Rahima Khan, the honorable District Commissioner of Madaripur, and Khairul Alam Shuman, the Additional District Commissioner of Madaripur, inaugurated poshuhut.com online.
Besides Alo and poshuhut.com, we started working on setting up the ICT Lab in parallel. We then communicated with Bipu bhai. In the meantime, he began working there as vice president of a charity organization called Sanabil Foundation. At the same time, we pitched our ICT lab idea to our honorable Mayor, Madaripur municipality, Md. Khalid Hasan Yead. We have convinced the Mayor to be on board the ICT Lab project. Bipu bhai set a meeting with the Sanabil Foundation Board. We presented our idea to the board, and they agreed to partner.
Then, we started brainstorming about the computer lab’s name. After several sittings, Fakrul came up with the name “Rupantor,” which came from the English word “Transformation” because Transformation was in the “Actions Contributing to Transformation-ACT Foundation” name. We all agreed and phrased it as “Rupantor ICT Lab.”
The Sanabil Foundation and Madaripur Municipality appreciated the name very much. We then shared our Capital expenditure and monthly operating costs budget with the Sanabil Foundation. Sanabil agreed to start the lab with 10 computers! Madaripur municipality agreed to allocate a space to set up the Rupantor ICT Lab.
Khondakar Abu Ahammad Firoz Iliyas (Firoz Bhai), Poura Nirbahi Officer of Madaripur Municipality, helped us set up the lab, from allocating space to setting up the computers in the room. Firoz Bhai will always be remembered as one of the key people who established the Rupantor ICT Lab.
Chowdhury Fakrul Alam led the ground set-up activities. Nazmul Shamim designed all the digital assets, including the mnemonic of the Rupantor ICT lab. Shadman Sakib Shorbo developed other digital assets for social media.
On 21 September 2021, we inaugurated the Rupantor ICT Lab in Madaripur Municipality Bhaban. Khalid Hasan Yead, the Honorable Mayor of Madaripur Municipality, organized the inauguration program in the Municipal conference room. LGED senior secretary Helaluddin Ahmed inaugurated the Rupantor ICT Lab. Deputy Decretory Azharul Islam was a special guest, while Mayor Khalid Hossain Yead presided over the in-person meeting. Senior Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed appreciated the organizers for developing such a modern lab at the district level.
We started our lab operations with two courses: Computing 101 and Digital Marketing Fundamentals. Mehedi Shamim began the Digital Marketing course, and Bappi Da and Munna took the Computing 101 course initially.
This is how Rupantor ICT Lab became one of the flagship projects of the Actions Contributing to Transformations (ACT) Foundation, and this is how ACT Foundation built over three years.
I am very blessed to have had the opportunity to work as a co-founder of ACT Foundation and project manager of Alo, Poshuhut, and Rupantor ICT Lab. I want to thank my friends/ other co-founders for their trust in me. I would also like to thank Khalid Hossain Yead Bhaia, Bipu Bhaia, Belal Bhaia, and all the Sanabil Foundation board members for trusting us and always being supportive.
Yead Bhaia always supports all ACT Foundation activities. He has never said no to any of our initiatives to this day. I would like to thank Rafiq Mama (Eng. Rafiqul Islam), Zahir Bhai (Advocate and Journalist Zahirul Islam Khan), and Roman (Our first lab coordinator) for being the warriors of Rupantor ICT Lab and ACT Foundation in the early days.
Now, all the co-founders are working in different roles in the foundation; Nazmul Shamim is overseeing the brand & communications, and finance part; Fakrul is overseeing the operations part; I am working on project development, fundraising, and donor management; and strategy development part. We got Advocate Moshiur Rahman Sajib, another friend, to look after our legal matters. We have two more young heroes on the team: Maruf Hasan Mahin (Rupantor ICT Lab Coordinator) and Sajib Mondal look over (Another flagship project, Shwapno Chaka). Sajib, Mahin, Nusrat Jerin Shuvra Apu, and Mawlud Hasan take different courses in the Rupantor ICT Lab.
Yes, here is the birth story of the Actions Contributing to Transformation (ACT) Foundation and Rupantor ICT Lab, where every act counts.
