Paper Blues

What we do

Five programmes, all run the same way: we meet people first, then bring exactly what they need.

How we work

  1. Meet the families

    Volunteers visit neighbourhoods, villages and schools and talk to families directly.

  2. Write down every need

    Each child or family goes into our register with what they need: clothing sizes, food, school supplies or treatment.

  3. Raise the money and buy

    We raise money from members, friends and donors, and buy exactly what is on the list.

  4. Hand it over in person

    Volunteers deliver every pack themselves, then post photos and updates on our Facebook page.

Khulna and Dhaka

Eid clothes for children

Before each Eid we register children from low-income families and buy each of them a new set of clothes in their size, so they can celebrate like everyone else.

A few weeks before Eid, volunteers go door to door and to local schools, meet parents, and write down every child’s age and clothing size.

We buy clothes to fit each child on the list, pack them one set per child, and hand them over in person on distribution day, usually in front of our banner so families know who we are.

Two volunteers with a boy holding his new Eid shirt
Children holding the Paper Blues 'To Rise Against Odds' banner outdoors
A girl in her new red Eid dress with a Paper Blues volunteer
A kneeling volunteer with a toddler and his new shirt
Children and mothers gather for the Eid clothes distribution

Riverbank villages

Flood relief

When floods cut villages off, we take food and essentials there by boat. Our relief bags carry three words: আমরা পাশে আছি, we are by your side.

We pack relief bags with food and daily essentials, then travel by country boat to riverbank and char villages that are hard to reach after a flood.

Families on our list receive their bag directly from a volunteer, and we keep a record of every household we reach.

Volunteers on a boat hand a relief pack to an elderly man on the riverbank
Villagers receive relief packs from volunteers on a boat
An elderly man receives a relief pack from Paper Blues volunteers
Packed Paper Blues relief bags ready for distribution

Village primary schools

Support for village schools

We visit primary schools, register pupils together with their parents, and bring stationery, clothes and gifts for the children.

Our volunteers spend the day at the school: they register each pupil with a parent present, then hand out colour pencils, school supplies and clothes.

Visiting schools also tells us which families need help at Eid or after a flood.

Smiling children at wooden desks in a village classroom with painted walls
A volunteer registers a child who holds a pack of colour pencils
A girl in a new embroidered dress, surrounded by smiling Paper Blues volunteers

Hospitals

Hospital visits

We visit children who are in hospital, bringing new clothes, small gifts and a little company.

A stay in hospital is hard on a child and on the family’s budget. Our volunteers visit children’s wards with new clothes and gifts and spend time with the children and their parents.

A volunteer brings a new dress to a child in hospital

Dhaka and Khulna

Care for street animals

We arrange treatment for injured and sick street animals, look after them while they recover, and find them safe shelter.

When volunteers or neighbours find an injured or sick street animal, we take it to a vet for treatment, look after it while it recovers, and find it a safe place to stay.