“Everyone should stay at home in this situation to combat COVID-19. But I am fighting COVID-19 through helping street children in their misery despite of risk of my own life. I am strongly committed to ensure daily meal which is officially arranged for the vulnerable street children. Where will the children get their meal if all will stay home? Where will this homeless children go if everything is closed? Who will arrange their meal?” Proshno Ruga (35), an Office Assistant cum Caretaker of DREAM project was expressing this statement while he has been asked what inspire him to continue serving the food for the street children.
During the devastating situation of Covid-19 crisis, while everything were locked down, these poor street children were starving for food. They were even crying in front of the DIC’s for food. With the guidance of the organization, while looking for some volunteers, Proshno Ruga is one the prominent frontline workers of CB, who came out saying - I will be helping these children. He has been engaged with different awareness activities, visiting the children at stations, distribution of leaflets and protection equipment's, cooking daily food and delivering those in four places of Mymensigh city for floating poor street children in Mymensingh City from 26th March 2020 to May 2020.
“I also feel afraid sometimes to stay outside and to work outside but thinking about the children I cannot stay home. I rushed to arrange their food at the risk of my life” Mr. Ruga expressed. He added “I can understand the world is changing because of COVID-19. Now a days, I see less numbers of street children at the rail-station area which was crowded before COVID-19 broke out".
The rail-station area, the bridge area and the slum area which where noisy and crowded by the street children, seemed to be quite now.
Everyone’s familiar city seems unfamiliar to me now. My children ask me, Dad, why don’t you come at home as the office is closed? I just answer them; there are little boys and girls like you on the streets who have no one to look after them, no one to feed them. I go out to feed them. You just pray to God for me. In this difficult time of COVID-19, I want stand beside them, I want to help them.”
Caritas Bangladesh is very proud for Proshno Ruga and for all the frontline COVID 19 fighters. Change will be coming; the world will be smiling again for the contribution of these best sons of Mother Earth.
An overview of Proshno Ruga
An overview of Street children having lunch at rail station
Brave Frontline Fighter against COVID-19
