Setu Bondhon Foundation — “the bridge that binds” — was created by a group of young people from Narail who believed that the distance between a family in need and the help that exists for it is often only a bridge away. That bridge may be information, a form, a training course, a scholarship, a doctor or simply someone willing to stand beside a family on its worst day. Building those bridges is our work.
We are a non-profit, non-political, non-communal voluntary organisation registered with the Department of Social Services of the Government of Bangladesh. We work in six areas — education, cultural and human development, socio-economic development, gender and women empowerment, environment and climate change, and agriculture and health — because the problems of a poor household never arrive one at a time.
What guides us
- Dignity first. Support is offered as a right, never as charity, and never in a way that shames the person receiving it.
- Local ownership. Plans are made with the community, and local committees decide who is selected.
- Transparency. Every donation is receipted, every account is auditable, and our reports are published on this website.
- Non-discrimination. Religion, politics, gender, ethnicity and disability never decide who we serve.
- Follow-through. We measure what changed six months later, not how many items we handed out on the day.
How we are organised
The Foundation is governed by an Executive Committee elected by its general members. Day-to-day work is carried out by a small management team supported by volunteers in every union where we operate. Our accounts are maintained separately for each programme and are reviewed annually by an external auditor.
Working with others
We work in partnership with local government, the Upazila Health Complex, schools and madrasas, hospitals and diagnostic centres, other development organisations and individual well-wishers at home and abroad. We do not duplicate what a government service already provides — we help people reach it.