We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Sitara Huq, mother of our long-term board member Shehgofta Queen. Sitara Huq regularly came to Samhati’s events and was a huge moral support as well. Samhati gratefully acknowledges the contributions of both Sitara Huq and Shegofta Queen.

The family has asked friends and family to make donations to Samhati in honor of Sitara Huq.
Donations are tax-deductible and checks should be made out to Samhati (with “in honor of Sitara Huq” in the memo line) and mailed to:
13107 Laneview Court
Oak Hill, VA 20171, USA

Donations in honor of Sitara Huq can also be made by PayPal or credit card through our website. The funds will be used to help impoverished women and children in Bangladesh. Samhati has no office or paid staff in the US, and approximately 97% of your donations are spent on the needy in Bangladesh.

Samhati expresses condolences to our former board member Shegofta Queen and to the whole family.

Washington, DC
April 9, 2019

Thanks to all of you, our 2018 benefit dinner was a huge success! We had approximately 200 people in attendance and raised $46,000 so far (with more donations coming in). The dance performance by Droopad was outstanding and we really appreciate that they donated their time for Samhati.

Anita Bose presented Samhati’s current work in Bangladesh and you can see her slides here. For the first time we also did livestreaming of the event on Facebook and you can see the videos here and here (introductions).

Thank you to our supporters, our board, our host committee, and all our members. If you have not yet donated, please follow this link and make your donation by credit card or check.

Please join us for Samhati’s annual benefit dinner and auction

Saturday, October 6, 2018,  From 6:00 to 9:00 pm

Address: River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6301 River Road (entrance on Whittier Blvd), Bethesda, MD 20817. Free parking in lot. (Exit 39 from Beltway to River Road. Go towards Bethesda/Washington, take left at Whittier Blvd and venue is immediately on left. Public Transport: Bus T2).

Featuring:
Inspiration, empowerment, dance performances, auction, delicious food, drinks and dessert!

Admission per person:
Basic: $75 [Please donate more if you can!]
Silver level: $500
Gold Level: $1000
Platinum Level: $5000 and up

If you send in your check, we will reserve a ticket for you and your name will be on the guest list at the door. Please make your check payable to “Samhati” and mail to: Samhati, 13107 Laneview Ct., Oak Hill, VA 20171, USA

Click here to: Buy tickets to Samhati Benefit

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 directs approximately 90% of your contributions to needy families.

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.
A donation of $100 will provide adult literacy or vocational classes for a village woman, who in turn will be able to better care for her family.
A donation of $500 will fund our health clinic in Katakhali village for one month, providing care and health education for over 500 families.
Your gift of $1,000 will fund climate adaptation training for 10 villagers in Katakhali.

Hundreds of women, children, and families have been transformed by Samhati’s work. Our focus on literacy, health, and environment has created leadership from within to maintain and grow our projects. Samhati has provided cyclone relief and climate adaptation training, established the first women’s shelter in Bangladesh, and developed eco-empowerment projects in villages. Your support is crucial!

Featuring:
Dance by Droopad

Samhati’s 2018 Host Committee:
Sharmeen and Uzair Dossani, Rose Hayden, Laneyse Hooks, Mehmood Kazmi, Sangeeta Mookherji, Mustafa and Naheed Chowdhury, Beth Pile, Grace Kibue Sharp, Jyoti Tulsi
& Satwant Tulsi.

Benefit Chair: Cima Ali and Alema Siddiky
Auction Chair: Jhinuk Hasan-Fulton

Link to the full invitation letter here.

Image from Laksmichamp Union, Rangpur. Girls with bikes donated by Samhati, January 2018.

We are deeply saddened by the recent passing of Abdul Baten, husband of our long-term treasurer Hosne Ara Baten. Mr. Baten was a good friend to Samhati and provided many hours of voluntary accounting services for our organization. He prepared our financial statements in compliance with the requirements of the International Monetary Fund’s Civic Program, of which Samhati was a grantee from 2007-2011. Samhati gratefully acknowledges the contributions of both Hosne Ara Baten and Abdul Baten.

The Baten family has asked friends and family to make donations to Samhati in honor of Abdul Baten in lieu of sending flowers.
Donations are tax-deductible and checks should be made out to Samhati (with “in honor of Abdul Baten” in the memo line) and mailed to:
Samhati
8602 Aqueduct Road
Potomac, MD 20854, USA

Donations in honor of Abdul Baten can also be made by PayPal or credit card through our website. The funds will be used to help impoverished women and children in Bangladesh. Samhati has no office or paid staff in the US, and approximately 97% of your donations are spent on the needy in Bangladesh.

Samhati expresses condolences to our valued former treasurer Hosne Ara Baten and to the whole family.

Washington, DC
February 6, 2018

Samhati is a 501c3 organization which supports several small “eco-empowerment” projects in rural Bangladesh to improve the lives of women and girls with a focus on education, health, and environment. This year, two of our projects — one in the North in Rangpur and the other in the South in Katakhali Village on the island of Barobaishdia — have suffered great hardship due to torrential rains and flooding, extreme weather caused by climate change.  We need to spend an extra $8,000 in repair and relief costs for these two communities. 

Our program in Rangpur is in the diverse Laksmichamp Union and we provide middle and high school scholarships to dozens of children, women’s literacy classes, and free and sliding scale health services.  The rains there have devastated our project and the villagers’ farms.  In our Katakhali project, the roof of the health clinic is leaking, the path to the clinic needs to be rebuilt, and two of the fish ponds need to be repaired.  The ponds are used by the women’s cooperative to raise fish for food and income.  Because of the extreme climate events around the world this year, our projects have been badly hit.  We also need to raise money for climate adaptation and advocacy training, which will cost approximately $2000. In total, we need to raise $10,000 by December 10 to be able to continue our work in these two communities.  
We are a small organization, and our annual budget is approximately $60,000.  The flooding has left us with a budget deficit so that we are unable to meet the basic needs of our projects in Bangladesh.  Our work is vital to the lives of so many women, girls and their families.  We really need your help!  Thanks so much.
Samhati has no office space or staff in the US, so 97% of your donation will go directly to Bangladesh.  Our board is all volunteer and we make sure your donations are spent carefully. Thanks so much for your tax-deductible donation!  You will receive a receipt. To make a tax deductible contribution, please make your check payable to “Samhati” and mail to:
Samhati
8602 Aqueduct Road
Potomac, MD 20854 or click the donate button for online payment.

Please join us for Samhati’s annual benefit dinner and auction

Saturday, October 7, 2017,  From 6:00 to 9:00 pm

Address: River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6301 River Road (entrance on Whittier Blvd), Bethesda, MD 20817. Free parking in lot. (Exit 39 from Beltway to River Road. Go towards Bethesda/Washington, take left at Whittier Blvd and venue is immediately on left. Public Transport: Bus T2).

Featuring:
Inspiration, empowerment, dance performances, auction, delicious food, drinks and dessert!

Admission per person: $75 ($35 students)

If you send in your check, we will reserve a ticket for you and your name will be on the guest list at the door. Please make your check payable to “Samhati” and mail to: Samhati, 8602 Aqueduct Rd,Potomac, MD 20854, USA

Click here to: Buy Tickets for Samhati Benefit Dinner

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 directs 97% of your contributions to needy families.

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.
A donation of $100 will provide adult literacy or vocational classes for a village woman, who in turn will be able to better care for her family.
A donation of $500 will fund our health clinic in Katakhali village for one month, providing care and health education for over 500 families.
Your gift of $1,000 will fund climate adaptation training for 10 villagers in Katakhali.

Hundreds of women, children, and families have been transformed by Samhati’s work. Our focus on literacy, health, and environment has created leadership from within to maintain and grow our projects. Samhati has provided cyclone relief and climate adaptation training, established the first women’s shelter in Bangladesh, and developed eco-empowerment projects in villages. Your support is crucial!

Featuring:
Dance by Mishka Mukherji & Mayur Dance Academy

Samhati’s 2017 Host Committee:
Sharmeen and Uzair Dossani, Rose Hayden, Hamid Faruqee, Susan Courtney-Faruqee, Mehmood Kazmi, Sangeeta Mookherji, Wameek Noor, Mustafa and Naheed Chowdhury, Grace Kibue Sharp, Jyoti Tulsi, Satwant Tulsi, and Laurie Whiteman.

Benefit Chair: Monica Jahan Bose
Auction Chair: Jhinuk Hasan-Fulton

Click here to download the full invitation letter:samhatiinvitation2017final

Huge thanks to everyone for supporting Samhati and attending our fundraiser. Thanks to our dancers, henna artists, speakers, host committee, and all our members. Samhati is currently supported entirely by individual donations. There is still time to donate and get on this list! Special thanks to Samhati’s largest donors, listed below:

PLATINUM LEVEL: Jaseem Ahmed * Mustafa and Naheed Chowdhury * Ronald Creamer * Sidney Schuler.

GOLD LEVEL: Cima Ali * Dale and Julie Bennett * Anita Jahan Bose * Kathryn & Michael Caballero * Sharmeen and Uzair Dossani * Nariz and Nasreen Dossani * Mustafa Haque * Rumana Kazmi * Anthony Gerrits & Erlene Gochuico * Iqbal & Nasima Mansur * Mary Stahl * Laurie Whiteman * Lonna Shafritz

SILVER LEVEL: Ismat Ahmed * Michael Bennett & Monica Jahan Bose * Noorjahan Bose * Roquia Haider * Probal Hasan* Fatima Mahmud * Susan & Patrick Nevins * Shaan Noman * Michael and Shahana Pagen * Saifur & Yasmeen Rahman * Jan Rumi * Satwant Tulsi * Jiwanjot Tulsi * Nam Atiqur Rahnan & Nasima Nusrat * Shamarukh Billah * Michael Quinn * Jahanara Hasan

We would also like to acknowledge the International Monetary Fund’s Civic Program, which supported us from 2007-2011.

On October 22, 2016, Samhati lost Jahanara Ali, one of our founding board members. She attended Samhati’s first board meeting on January 14, 1985 and was elected to the board as Secretary. She has remained committed to Samhati for all these years, and we are very saddened by her sudden departure. In celebration of her life and her dedication to Samhati for three decades, the Samhati Board of Directors and members decided today at our 2016 annual meeting to create a new college and vocational scholarship program. Samhati needs to raise $10,000 to launch the program and give out the scholarships for the 2017-2018 academic year. Samhati will identify three needy and academically worthy young women, one from each of the following localities where Samhati is already funding high-school scholarships: Laksmichamp Union in Rangpur District; Natore District; and Katakhali Village in Patuakhali District. Samhati has been funding middle and high school scholarships in these three districts for many years, and has seen a huge increase in high school graduation rates in these communities. Many of the young women are keen to continue their education with the post-secondary H.S.C.Degree, vocational training in nursing or education or other fields, and/or a Bachelor’s Degree at a university. Such post-secondary schooling is prohibitively expensive for these impoverished students, yet a necessity to secure good jobs and provide support to their extended families. Educating one woman leads to tangible benefits for the whole family and indeed the entire community.

Jahanara Ali, a graduate of Dhaka University, was a strong believer in education for girls and women. In her honor, Samhati is today launching the new Jahanara Ali Memorial College Scholarship Program. Please help us honor Jahanara Ali’s memory and her dedication to education for women by making a tax deductible donation to Samhati. Checks should be made out to “Samhati”, with “Jahanara Ali” in the memo line, and mailed to 8602 Aqueduct Rd, Potomac, MD 20854. Any questions may be sent to info@samhati.org. You may also donate online.

Samhati has 501c3 tax-exempt status with the IRS and is registered as a charity in the State of Maryland. We will send receipts for all donations so be sure to provide your address and email. Donations of $500 or more will also be acknowledged on our website and at our annual benefit. We are grateful for your support in memory of our departed board member Jahanara Ali.

Dated: October 30, 2016

Please join us for our annual benefit dinner and auction

Saturday, October 22, 2016,  From 6:30 to 9:30 pm

Address: River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 6301 River Road, Bethesda, MD 20817.

Image credit: Tania Chatterjee

Featuring:
Dance performances by Shreya Mukherji & Antora Rahman of Mayur Dance Academy

Henna design by Nurunnahar Mili and Tahera Anu

Admission per person: $75 ($35 students)

If you send in your check, we will reserve a ticket for you and your name will be on the guest list at the door. Please make your check payable to “Samhati” and mail to: Samhati, 8602 Aqueduct Rd,Potomac, MD 20854, USA

Click here to: Buy tickets for Samhati 2016 Benefit Dinner & Auction

Samhati’s 2016 Benefit Host Committee:
Mustafa and Naheed Chowdhury, Sharmeen and Uzair Dossani, Mehmood Kazmi, Grace Kibue Sharp, Saroj Singh, Jyoti Tulsi, Satwant Tulsi, Wameek Noor, and Laurie Whiteman.
Benefit Chair: Monica Jahan Bose Auction Chair: Jhinuk Hasan-Fulton

Click here to download the invitation: samhatiinvitation2016