They reflected on their initiatives that allow poor and starving people to have a meal paying just one Taka.

The members deemed it as a ‘rewarding moment’ for having the opportunity to narrate their vision before Radwan, a trustee of CRI (Centre for Research and Information).

An advocate for youth development, Radwan had previously overseen Joy Bangla Youth Award, a stepping stone to recognise and advance young change-makers in the country.

Talking to the ‘Ek Takay Ahar’ youths, he inspired them for sustaining the services they are carrying out to feed the people who cannot afford a meal.

“What inspired the organisation to launch this initiative is the heart-wrenching fact that a considerable amount of food goes to the waste bin every day while more than a couple of million people sleep with an empty stomach,” CRI said.

Since 2006, ‘Ek Takay Ahar’ programme has been demonstrating a practical solution to discarding surplus food.

Its members collect surplus food from restaurants and other establishments to feed street children, beggars, and starving people.

Till now, they have coordinated donations worth over a million dollars to distribute food, collected from quality service providers.

Moreover, they have other innovative programmes to run – such as crafting notebooks for poor children from electoral waste.

Imbued with motivation following the meeting, they posted a photo with Radwan and State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid, along with a caption saying, “We shared our stories on how we produced notebooks from electoral ballots and bags from banners. They also inquired how the administration could help us advance our projects and whether or not we had hurdles to overcome. Their notes of inspiration will always guide us on the journey we set out on.”