Thanks to everyone who joined our virtual fundraiser or sent in a donation.  Here is the presentation on Samhati’s work in 2021 given by Anita Jahan Bose at the event.  Special thanks to Antora Rahman Doha for her beautiful performance, and to our boardmembers who gave the wonderful cooking lesson. Many thanks to all of you for your support.  We have raised approximately $45,000 from the fundraiser, taking into account the pledged donations.  We will soon be sending receipts from our yahoo account – Samhati1984@yahoo.com — so please do add this address to your contacts.

Our budget is $65,000 so we are still of course taking donations and you may DONATE through this link or by sending a check payable to “Samhati” to: Samhati, 13107 Laneview Ct., Oak Hill, VA 20171.  We are also able to take donations of stocks through our brokerage account.  And yes, we can even take donations in Bangladeshi Taka if the donation amount is 100,000 Takas or more (approximately $1200).  We can also take monthly donations, either through a Paypal monthly donation (just check the box) or by arrangement with your bank.  Please email us at info@samhati.org if you’d like information on these options for donation.

Here is the video from our event, including the cooking demo and performance.

We hope that you and your family and friends are doing well.  Samhati’s work is continuing despite the coronavirus challenges.  Unfortunately, we have decided that given the Delta variant, it would not be prudent for us to have an in-person event. Our 2021 fundraiser will be a virtual event on Saturday, November 6, 2021, from 5:00 to 6:00 pm on Zoom. You can purchase tickets online here. It will be a teatime/cocktail event from each of our homes.  We hope that you will join us with your own beverage of choice. Like last year, we are sending two exclusive recipes from Samhati chefs and invite you to prepare them and join us online.

Founded in 1984, Samhati is the longest-running organization of Bangladeshi women in the United States.  We design and support small projects – focused on education, health, and environmental sustainability – to improve the lives of impoverished women and families in Bangladesh. Samhati is tax exempt (IRS ID Number 52-1390261). As an all-volunteer organization with negligible overhead, Samhati can direct approximately 95% of your contributions to needy families.  This year we are also trying to help our programs cope with COVID-19.

• If you donate $75, it will provide a one-year scholarship to ensure that a middle or high school child stays in school and does not have to work, or when school is closed, provides help to the whole family.   
• A donation of $100 will provide adult literacy or vocational classes for a village woman.
• A donation of $250 will help 20 families with a cash stipend for food during the pandemic.
• A donation of $500 will fund our health clinic in Katakhali village for one month, providing care for the entire Barobaishdia Island of 27,000 people.
• Your gift of $1000 will support 80 families with small cash grants during the pandemic.

During the pandemic, Samhati is continuing to pay all our local workers in Bangladesh and to provide scholarships to our students. We are now providing socially-distant trainings in literacy, sewing, farming, and computer literacy. We have funded the sewing of masks and COVID-safety awareness. We have distributed masks and cash stipends to over 500 families.  We have provided computers and training to help students study online. Please support our work and join us on November 6 to learn more.

Our official invitation letter is attached. Our recipes are also below to download.

With our best wishes and many thanks,

The Samhati Board and Advisors