AALO (LIGHT): a community for Children, Youth and Well-being

Children and Youth are considered as future of any Country. But we keep street children aside from this consideration. As a result a huge number of these street kids ends up being criminals or being picked up by many negative orgs. But if they were nurtured properly, they would have been an asset instead.

We're lucky that we got a bigger proportion of Youth in our population. But habit of smoking is also a fact for this generation. Overall health condition of our youth is not up to the mark and smoking is one of the reasons that we do not notice.

Two premium cigarettes everyday for a month equals near to 800-900 tk. If a smoker donates this money by consuming 2 less everyday, may can bear a street child! If these two entities can grow bigger, it'll change lives positively of a huge number of people! 

Different Statistics say that we have 4 to 6 million street children! Almost all of these street kids are deprived from all their basic needs! A percentage of them becomes child workers and rest have no destination. Sometimes they get acquainted with violent extremist groups or criminal acts. They make the whole nation suffer and become country's burden.

GATS say that almost 15 million people smoke cigarettes in Bangladesh. Over 8 million of them are young people. Smoking cigarettes not only causes cancer but also its the mother of various ailments. A supreme number of our youth cannot perform up to their potential due to this habit. Some of them become frustrated and get acquainted with drugs, crimes and violent acts! Concept of AALO comes here to combine these two together for a greater solution. If its needed to be started from somewhere, AALO can be one of the potential platforms. It can be started from scratch but can grow bigger virally as a smoker only needs to consume less to participate. The magic of it is- the more donor it'll have the more street child can get a better life! Both the communities can grow simultaneously!

Bangladesh is growing fast. There are significant positive changes happened in people's lives in past few years. But street children are one of the few communities that remained unchanged. They do not have a home to live, no treatment, no education, they hardly have clothes to wear and they do anything to get some food. Their first and foremost concern is food then a roof. Then they look forward for clothes and at last treatment. But they don't have the ability to think about the education thus they don't feel it necessary! Whereas education of different sorts can solve all of their needs! A minimum literacy and vocational education can change a life!

Youth always have the potential to bring a change. All they need is a motivation, a purpose. Many think of to contribute but find no way. With a proper platform, they can develop enormously! The are not afraid to take responsibilities. A young smoker, saving money from smoking two cigarettes less can take responsibility of one need of a street child. A group of five young people thats how can change a kids life completely!

AALO can be their purpose and a Roof to those street kids. 

AALO will be consisted with a Central Management body. This body will initiate AALO activity in all 8 Divisional cities at a time! 

In the Seeking phase, a team/volunteers will seek for donor who has to smoke 2 cigarettes a day and with that money, sponsor 1 need of a street kid for a month. As soon as the team can make a group of 6 donors, this group of donors will eventually become an intrinsic part of AALO team and start act as a seeker. This group will seek for one donors each and a street kid to take responsibility. Altogether they can sponsor almost 5500 taka for that kid to ensure six needs in the Development phase- Food, Home, Clothing, Treatment, Basic Education and Vocational Training as per the kid's interest. They can be the mentor/guardian of that kid as a group or individually. If this group can become inspired and consumes 4 cigarettes less everyday, they can patron one more kid.

This model works for every donor group. The central management body gradually expands its activity across the country. And with a viral formula the community of donors will increase as well as the number of street children who are taken care of.

After a few month's of vocational training, the kid will start earning money. AALO will produce crafts or products or contents made by these street kids. Once a kid earns enough to fulfill six needs, the patron donor group will take a new kid in place of that kid.

Two things will start happening- 

1) Number of Street Children will decrease.

2) Smoking habit will be reduced.

And when this happen, we will have less child offense to solve, more productive community, a community of young people with great sense of responsibility and better health, less pollution and better environment to live on.

An App will be developed to get connected with this huge community. A large batch of street kids can be IT trained, so that they can become freelancers and earn foreign money.

AALO gradually will enhance its perimeter of work. In future it'll not only work for the street children but also work for the under privileged and challenged kids. It'll become a model to other solutions as well.

As darkness is nothing but an absence of light, so team AALO will lit the light wherever there is darkness.

The most innovative part of my solution is that its convincing. Anyone would love to be a part of this community just by smoking less. Its not a big amount of money that is asked, instead its an opportunity and platform created to young generation, so that they can contribute easily which they always seek for.

The solution simultaneously solves two challenges.

The community will grow faster as well as the number of street kids under AALO because it has a viral potential in its mechanism. So the solution will reach to its potential faster.

With a proper support and Management plan, the goal for next year is to implement the idea. Then within the first year reach all the 8 divisional cities. Then within next four years cover the whole country.

The initial Patronization/Funding, Team and Space.

If not I could avail any support, I'll start it with volunteers. It'll be slow in that case but the solution has potential to grow faster. Once it starts growing AALO does not need to be turned off!

I'm currently partnering with Ichchhetola, a cultural center for children.

Once AALO will reach to its full potential, it will start generating money. As the solution is in concept level, its yet to be worked out.

TigerIT foundation can give me a head start. With their support I can have a team to work with technology and data.