Undeterred, they will keep working for the street kids

The four youths, freed on Monday after serving 38 days in jail on charges that could not be proved, are not suffering from low morale.

Rather, they have strengthened their resolve to provide education and a better life to underprivileged street children.

"As we rejoined work, we feel that the spirit among our volunteers is higher than ever," said Arifur Rahman Arian, chairman of Adamya Bangladesh.

Arian along with three of his colleagues was arrested on September 12.

While talking to this correspondent at The Daily Star office yesterday, the youths shared their new plans to start a permanent shelter for children in Manikganj.

They said a lot has changed for the better since their arrest.

"Those are the darkest days of our lives. But we would probably never be able to realise the strength of our camaraderie if it wasn't put to test in such a way," he said.

On September 12, police arrested the four -- Arif, Hasibul Hasan Sabuj, Zakia Sultana and Firoz Alam Khan -- at a flat in the capital's Banasree. Law enforcers also claimed to have rescued 10 children from the house.

The arrests were made after the uncle of one of the children named Mubarak, who lived in the Rampura shelter home, filed a case under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act 2012 with Rampura Police Station, accusing the four.

The rescued children, aged between nine and 14, then told journalists that they were given food and security and that they were happy at the shelter home.

On September 13, Mubarak was handed over to his family while the rest were sent to the Juvenile Development Centre in Gazipur.

Their arrests sparked widespread protests in the social media.

A police probe found the charges brought against the Adamya Bangladesh members to be false.

Of the four, only Arif completed his studies while the others are students.

Zakia said apart from the shelter at Rampura, they also have three schools named Mojar School at the city's Agargaon, Sadarghat and Kamalapur for homeless children. Of the schools, the one in Agargaon is in a rented flat, while the other two are in open spaces.

Asked about their parents, Sabuj said, "I think most of our parents are just as determined as we are."

While they were in prison, their parents frequently sent homemade food to about 200 students at the schools, Sabuj added.

Adamya Bangladesh was registered with the government in January 2014.