Editorial
Keshab's pioneering work
He has done us proud
We often criticise the values of our youth, we are also quick to judge the influence of organisations working with youth in the grassroots level. But Keshab from Nilphamari proved us very wrong winning the United Nation's "Youth Courage Award," by working as a child right activist. Keshab has stopped 25 child marriages to date and brought back a hundred children from becoming school drop-outs.
Plan International-funded organisation Surjomukhi welcomed Keshab to join their work a few years ago as a volunteer. Before that Keshab himself was a school drop-out. But after working with Surjomukhi he went back to school and continued working in his community for children's rights.
When we look at the big picture and think of national level trends and outcomes, we often forget movements like the one Keshab has started with Surjomukhi. But we need to look at these positive sides of our nation and our youth. Perhaps our youth do not know certain things adults want them to, but at the same time we would like to believe that today's youth are more involved with a stronger understanding of their surrounding and the best part of it is that they act on it.
We hope there are more Keshabs out there around our country, and their accomplishments, small and big, will measure up to enlightened transformations, where ethics and values are strong and old traditions like child marriage are erased forever.
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