Welcome to Drishtipat.
You believe that every person has an equal right to
be heard, and an equal right to dignity, compassion
and opportunities.
You believe that safeguarding every individual’s
basic human rights will complement, and not hinder,
the sustainable progress and economic development
of Bangladesh.
You believe that there is so much more to Bangladesh
– its culture, its language, its people –
than the flood-ridden, poverty-stricken image portrayed
in international news.
You read the news and feel the urge to speak out,
to do something, to make a difference, however small.
You are, in spirit, already a member of the Drishtipat
family. Welcome to Drishtipat!
Your vigilance, your awareness, and the passionate
manifestation of your compassion through your proactive
stance is exactly a reflection of Drishtipat’s
spirit. All you need to do is make yourself known
to the rest of the community members who are actively
trying to make a real difference, one small step at
a time.
Drishtipat Mission
Mission
The mission of Drishtipat is to empower and enable the underprivileged and the marginalized segment of the society and individuals living in social and economic poverty so that they can exercise their most basic human rights with dignity, opportunity and hope.
We do this by working with local, national and international partners in three core areas:
1. Economic and ecological development - We combat poverty and injustice by encouraging self sustainable opportunities for individuals and their communities through young social entrepreneurs.
2. Advocacy and policy research– We mobilize the younger segment of society and collectively serve as advocates for the poor and the discriminated and launch awareness campaigns and educational projects to help leaders make informed decisions that eradicate poverty, injustice and discrimination. We assess and develop action plans in areas of concern that need activism for protection of the affected or improvement of the quality of life. Areas of advocacy and action include natural disasters, violation of human rights, cultural freedom, right to civil liberties, access to justice against crimes against a group of people or individuals by any agency, poverty, environment or any form of violation of foundational and contingent human rights.
3. Volunteering and community philanthropy - We transform values and amplify the practice of community giving by promoting self help and philanthropy to create positive social change within Bangladesh and its Diaspora community.
Drishtipat’s Vision:
Drishtipat comes to you with a Vision.
A Vision to integrate a respect for human rights
into the underlying fundamentals of our governing
policies, and into our goals of sustainable economic
development and national growth and progress.
A Vision to provide a reliable voice of constructive
criticism and specialized expertise in human rights,
so that the governing and judicial authorities can
turn to us with confidence, for recommendations and
critique of policies, regulations or crisis management
when situations of human rights violations do arise
inadvertently.
A Vision to harness the cultural and nationalistic
pride within the expatriate community, and to leverage
the innovativeness, the technical skills and the professional
expertise within this community, towards action-oriented
projects that leave a real positive impact on the
lives of the people of Bangladesh.
Drishtipat –Goals: Awareness, Assistance
How?
Hearing the voices of the unheard.
Speaking of human rights abuse – highlighting
‘facts’ about specific incidents of alleged
human rights abuse through the Drishtipat website
and mailing list.
Taking proactive action to stop human rights violations
by
a. Mobilizing public opinion through awareness raising
campaigns to protest against such human rights abuses.
b. Supporting advocacy campaigns to ensure appropriate
responses from the state authorities including effective
steps to prevent future recurrences of such abuses,
or to prosecute or punish those responsible.
Helping victims of abuse with direct assistance-oriented
projects and rehabilitation efforts.
Talking about the struggles and fights and the undying
spirit of our people
Giving the neglected and marginalized a helping hand
by supporting entrepreneurial projects – not
as retail, band-aid solutions, but as a more systemic
socioeconomic ‘fix’.
Nurturing a sense of cultural identity within the
expatriate community (through pro-active campaigns
that positively affect the lives of people in Bangladesh)
Drishtipat – Who are we?
Started in 2001 as a response to an increasing feeling
of helplessness faced by expatriate Bangladeshis at
the human rights violations in Bangladesh. Now Drishtipat
with its strong online presence has 8 chapters all
around the world in USA, UK, Canada, Australia and
Bangladesh. You can take a look at individual chapter
site from the top of the page. Apart from this Drishtipat
has a creative arm called Drishtipat Creative and
also it has an arm for the thought leaders called
Drishtipat
Writers' Colective
Message from the Founder: “As we read the news
from home, we get sad, we get angry, we get depressed.
There are times we feel the urge to step up and to
do something about it. This was one such moment when
we thought why not give it a try...that's how we started
Drishtipat.”
o Project highlights are here
Drishtipat is a registered non profit in the USA.
The IRS Tax ID is 38-3657939.
