Introduction
Alorpoth Kollyan Sangstha (APKS) is a Bangladeshi non-political, non-profit, non-sectarian, volunteer-based social welfare and nongovernmental development organization officially launched in 2012. The organization was formed with a clear mission to support the underprivileged, the less fortunate, and the most vulnerable communities in Bangladesh through practical action that improves everyday life.
APKS empowers communities, promotes education, and mobilizes resources to improve lifestyles and livelihoods. It uses innovative development strategies to build sustainability while helping disadvantaged people gain greater self-sufficiency, dignity, and control over their own future. Alongside this, APKS works to prevent trafficking, protect the environment, and strengthen the resilience of vulnerable populations.
APKS is committed to human rights, public awareness, and inclusive social change. It works without discrimination based on class, tribe, origin, area, religion, or gender, and engages with community leaders, local representatives, and public institutions to advance peace, justice, and collective well-being.
Background
APKS was born from compassion in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza tragedy, when the urgent needs of affected people made clear how deeply many communities in Bangladesh were exposed to insecurity, poverty, and social neglect. Under the leadership of Shamim Ara Sultana, volunteers came forward with blood donations, food, medical support, and direct assistance for injured workers and distressed families.
That experience revealed the need for more than emergency relief. It showed that lasting change required long-term, community-rooted development focused on livelihoods, dignity, and protection. From that turning point, APKS evolved into an organization committed to creating sustainable social impact for underprivileged, vulnerable, and marginalized communities.
In its early years, APKS focused strongly on women’s enterprise development and support for poor women and vulnerable children. Over time, the organization expanded into a multidimensional model that addresses interconnected issues such as women’s rights, child labor, childhood development, health, education, environmental vulnerability, and social justice. APKS continues to believe that real progress must be community-led and based on the needs people identify for themselves.
Motivation
APKS is motivated by the belief that sustainable development must respond to the real lives of people living in hardship, whether in deprived urban settlements, semi-urban communities, remote villages, coastal belts, hill tracts, border areas, or migrant settings. The organization works to improve conditions through education, health, hygiene, nutrition, sanitation, income generation, and community-based awareness initiatives that strengthen both people and local systems.
Its work is shaped by collaboration with government departments, local institutions, development partners, and community leaders so that programs can create meaningful and practical outcomes. APKS aligns its efforts with broader development goals while keeping its focus on direct service to vulnerable people and communities whose needs are often overlooked.
The organization’s motivation is rooted in dignity, justice, and self-reliance. APKS does not view development as one-time charity; it sees it as a long-term process that helps people build secure livelihoods, stronger communities, and a future grounded in peace, social harmony, and human responsibility.
Approach
APKS follows a community-centered and participatory approach that places people, not institutions, at the heart of development. The organization believes that communities should identify their own priorities, contribute to solutions, and lead the change process with support from committed partners. This approach allows programs to reflect local realities while building ownership, confidence, and long-term sustainability.
Its work combines social development with economic empowerment, health, education, gender equality, legal awareness, and climate resilience. APKS seeks to connect these issues rather than treat them in isolation, because poverty, exclusion, environmental risk, and limited opportunity are deeply linked in the lives of vulnerable families.
At every stage, APKS emphasizes transparency, accountability, innovation, adaptation, and professionalism. It works through partnerships with community-based organizations, local administration, development stakeholders, and public institutions while maintaining a special focus on women, children, youth, differently abled people, and hard-to-reach populations.
Mission & Vision
APKS envisions a democratic, just, and peaceful society where women, children, youth, differently abled people, ethnic communities, and other targeted groups can live with dignity, security, and equal rights. It imagines a future free from discrimination, where every person has meaningful access to health, education, food, shelter, employment, and social protection.
Its mission is to implement inclusive development projects and awareness initiatives that improve healthcare, education, socio-economic conditions, gender equality, legal protection, and climate resilience for underprivileged, less fortunate, and marginalized communities in Bangladesh. Through this work, APKS seeks to build a poverty-free, educated, progressive, and hopeful society grounded in justice and human dignity.
Goals
The goals of APKS center on reducing poverty and deepening social inclusion by ensuring that marginalized communities can access basic needs, economic opportunity, and a safer standard of living. The organization works to improve health and nutritional well-being, expand access to healthcare, prevent disease, and support the physical and social well-being of women, children, and differently abled individuals.
APKS also aims to strengthen education and skill development so that individuals and families can move toward long-term self-sufficiency. At the same time, it promotes environmental sustainability, disaster preparedness, and adaptation to climate change, while advancing human rights, gender equity, good governance, and social justice for people who face exclusion, exploitation, or vulnerability.
Objectives
APKS works to empower disadvantaged and underprivileged communities by strengthening local initiatives, mobilizing available resources, and helping communities generate their own social and economic capital with appropriate outside support. It also promotes gender equality and positive social change by expanding access to education, entrepreneurship, and collaboration with public and private stakeholders.
The organization pursues integrated development through programs that combine health, education, rehabilitation, advocacy, and economic empowerment rather than treating social problems separately. It also focuses on protection and rehabilitation for highly vulnerable women and children, including those affected by poverty, abuse, conflict, and displacement, while supporting environmental protection, disaster response, and community resilience as essential parts of long-term development.
Target Group
APKS works with disadvantaged and underserved people across Bangladesh, including urban poor communities, less fortunate semi-urban society, vulnerable rural populations, lower middle-class farm families, landless small farmers, riverine communities, and disaster-affected households. It also serves marginalized ethnic minorities, tribal populations, migrants, refugees, and hard-to-reach groups who often remain outside mainstream development support.
Within these communities, APKS gives particular attention to women, widows, divorcees, women-headed households, mothers, adolescents, children, differently abled people, and those facing abuse, exclusion, or severe economic insecurity. The organization also works with community-based groups and socially marginalized identities to ensure that development is inclusive, locally rooted, and responsive to those with the greatest need.
Core Values
- Integrity and Accountability: honest, transparent, and responsible conduct in all dealings.
- Compassion and Respect: dignity, empathy, and solidarity with people living in hardship.
- Social Justice and Human Rights: commitment to equality, inclusion, protection, and legal rights.
- Sustainability and Good Governance: green development, institutional integrity, and partnership-based implementation.
- Commitment and Dedication: faithful, respectful, and participatory service to the communities APKS supports.
Areas of Intervention
- Education: non-formal education, pre-primary education, formal education support, scholarships.
- Advocacy: lobbying, good governance, capacity development, trafficking prevention, legal support, and dispute settlement.
- Agriculture: crop diversification, seed promotion, production support, and technology transfer.
- Environment and Forestry: renewable energy, nursery support, tree plantation, and environmental awareness.
- Social Development: mobilization, awareness campaigns, support for differently abled people, and optimum use of local resources.
- Fisheries and Livestock: fish culture, poultry, hatchery, dairy, goat rearing, and biomass initiatives.
- Health: emergency care, treatment aid, family planning, nutrition, water and sanitation, nursing, and midwifery.
- Skill Development: soft skills, hard skills, vocational training, life skills, and entrepreneurship development.
- Disaster Management: pre-disaster awareness, relief distribution, rehabilitation, and resilience-building.
- Micro Finance: microcredit, microenterprise support, savings, and flexible finance for hard-core poor households.
APKS currently works across parts of Dhaka Division, Rangpur Division, and Chittagong Division.
Projects
APKS implements a wide range of practical projects that translate its mission into measurable community impact. Major initiatives include:
- Education and Non-Formal Education: enrolled 1,200 children in NFE programs, with 800 transitioning to formal education.
- Rehabilitation Program: supported 500 families with assets, housing, and small capital for self-reliance.
- Health and Hygiene Programme: improved hygiene practices and reduced preventable diseases through weekly awareness sessions.
- Eid Food Distribution: distributed 1,000 food packages benefiting around 5,000 people.
- Qurbani Meat Distribution: distributed 3,000 kilograms of meat to 6,000 beneficiaries.
- Fresh Fruits Distribution: improved nutrition for 1,200 women and children through seasonal fruit distribution.
- Book Distribution: delivered 5,000 books to 20 institutions in remote areas.
- Vocational Training Centers: trained 300 people in cottage industries and electrical work.
- Employment Program: created work opportunities for 400 people through SME and cooperative initiatives.
- Deep Water Wells: installed 50 tube wells to provide safe water for 500 families.
- Agriculture Project: supported 600 farmers with seeds, cattle, and livestock recovery assistance.
- Medical Aid for the Poor: financed treatment and medicines for people with chronic illness.
- Marriage Support: assisted financially vulnerable couples, especially orphans and poor families.
- Winter Clothing Distribution: provided blankets and warm clothing for cold-affected northern communities.
- Entrepreneurship Support: backed 150 entrepreneurs and helped generate employment for 500 people.
- Education Scholarships: supported 200 talented students from financially challenged families.
- Housing for the Homeless: built and repaired homes for disaster-affected and rootless families.
- Post-Disaster Rehabilitation: restored livelihoods, shelter, and dignity after natural calamities.
- Sanitary Latrine Construction: improved hygiene and sanitation in underserved communities and camps.
- Eye Cataract Operations: organized free treatment and surgery to restore vision.
- Circumcision Project: supported safe and hygienic procedures for children from poor families.
- Free Health Camps: delivered treatment, prescriptions, and medicine in refugee, flood-affected, and remote areas.
- Third Gender Craft and Training Center: created training and earning opportunities for socially excluded communities.
- Old Age Allowance: provided regular support for senior citizens facing loneliness and financial hardship.
- Electric House Wiring Training: trained unemployed youth for self-employment and technical jobs.
- Computer Training Center: built digital skills in basic computing, graphic design, web, and software development.
- Blood Donation and Component Support: organized donor networks and emergency blood collection.
- Road Safety Awareness: reached thousands through awareness campaigns and driver training.
- Rapid Response for Flood-Affected People: delivered food, medicine, shelter materials, and rehabilitation support.
- COVID-19 Response: provided masks, sanitizer, telemedicine, relief, cooked food, and cash support.
- Sadqah Zaria Projects: mosque construction, madrasah support, student sponsorship, Wudhukhana building, Quranic Maktab, and Imam and teacher training.
Through these projects, APKS combines relief, rehabilitation, education, protection, and economic empowerment to deliver lasting social impact.