History
Bharateswari Homes, a renowned residential school, founded byRai Bahadur Ranada Prasad Saha, one of the most generous and the great philanthropist. It accommodates many students, teachers and other staffs who carryhis ideology of self-independence and solidarity life long. Holding this ideology, the students of SSC 1994 batch, formed this social welfare association, Education & Solidarity Organisation (ESO).
The seed of ESO was sowed informally on 13th August, 2010. That day, Nahima Sultana Rekha had a talk with Ms. Manika Devi, the then Principal of Bharateswari Homes, about the students who had economic hardship, whose families were struggling to bear their tuition fees. That day, they made a plan to initiate some volunteers’ group to support thetuition fees of those struggling students. And from the next month, September 2010, 4 students monthly fees had been regularly sponsoredarranged by Rekha. Under the supervision of Ms. Manika Deviand with the permission of PrincipalPratibha Mutsuddi ( Director, Kumudini Welfare Trust) and Mr. Rajiv Prasad Saha (Managing Director, Kumudini Welfare Trust ), this sponsopship has been continued and a file for SSC ’94 batch’s sponsors’ record has been maintained since then.
In 2012, students of this batch, reaching their mid 30’s, occupied with their own family, mothering, job, career and social life, were dispersed by the distant location likewise. On 16th December, 14 friends of this batchattended the invitation of Rekha at her place at Jhigatola, Dhaka. it’s been 18 years, the old school friends get together, no doubt, was so joyfull and they started to think how they could enhance the support for underprivileged students.
Meanwhile Facebook became really popular and very handy. All the friends, from different districts to different countries, started to gather virtually. They had fun, they had talk. They started to share, to care, to exchange their ideas and dreams through group chats, group conferences. This 2 years, was an important virtual period for the friends of this batch to be tuned up and solidify a collective greater dream. This common virtual journey prepared them to handle the issues more seriously.
Consequently, a bit more than two years later, on 15th May, 2015, the first formal and focused meeting took place again at Rekha’s old place with 9 friends. It was a successful meeting. Meeting minutes, records and essential procedures has been started to be maintained from that meeting. They altogether decided to take the responsibility of a financially vulnerable friend along with the students’ tuition fees. Many other friends started to commit together to contribute for the funds.
A necessity to form an association was felt soon. An executive committee was formed in 2015 informally. Saria Nafia Barna became the President.Afroza Islam Mimi as Vice President, Nahima Sultana Rekha as General Secretary, Umme Ruman Hira as joint Secretary, Soma Saha as treasurer, Afseen Shumi as joint treasurer and other executive members Saria Mahima Swarna, Nusrat Binte Ahsan, Dolly Akter Hena, Hamzu Hafeza, Meherun Nessa Rina and Sonia Sultana Ripa were selected as the Panel.The team workedto flourish the association effectively. Therewere still some general members, out of this committee, who work devotedly for the association. Fundamental activities like Quarterly meeting, Emergency meeting, get together, picnic have been performed still under the level of “SSC 1994 Batch”. Registration formalities are under process.
Slowly and steadily they started to grow and by 2019 the number of members is 53.
12th April 2019, At 15th meeting the 1st AGM was announced. 5th July 2019, at 20th meeting, the Constitution was read. At 22nd meeting, membership has been opened for all rather than only for the BH SSC ’94 batch.
6th September 2019, the name for the organisation was finalised as “Education and Solidarity Organisation” (ESO), proposed by Nasrin Akter Dolly.
26th October 2019, the Logo of the association took the finalshape with the agreement of the committee. Website was launched on27 September 2019 at 25th meeting.
Ms Hena Sultana, beloved, teacher of BH was and still is with the total journey as a guardian and well-wisher.