Queen Elizabeth recognises Korvi Rakshand with Commonwealth Points of Light Award

The Queen Elizabeth II, as Head of the Commonwealth, recognised Korvi Rakshand representing Bangladesh as the 181st Commonwealth Points of Light in honour of his extraordinary initiatives to engage the youth of Bangladesh in volunteering. 

The Points of Light award recognises outstanding individual volunteers across the 54 Commonwealth nations - people who are making a change in their community, said a press release. 

Korvi Rakshand, aged 35, launched 'Volunteer for Bangladesh', the country's largest volunteer platform, in 2011. 

It has now 40,000 young people taking part in voluntary activities in their local districts and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's) for the last ten years.  

Since the Coronavirus outbreak in 2020, the platform has been critical in supporting relief efforts, with volunteers helping distribute food and daily necessities to people whose livelihoods have been affected. 

The platform is a youth wing of JAAGO Foundation, which Korvi also created and leads.

 JAAGO is dedicated to breaking the cycles of poverty by educating children from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds, including refugees based in the Rohingya camp. 

The foundation runs 11 schools across the country and has so far benefitted the lives of more than 4,000 vulnerable children. 

"It is such an honour for me to receive the Commonwealth Point of Light Award," said Korvi. 

He added, "I am earnestly grateful to Her Majesty the Queen as the Head of the Commonwealth for the recognition I have received for my work. 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 are significant. I hope 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."  

Robert Chatterton Dickson, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, 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. I am delighted that this award further strengthens the Brit Bangla Bondhon and the spirit of the Commonwealth in Bangladesh."