The Power of Being With, Not Above. উপরে নয়, পাশে থাকার শক্তি।

[Manira khanam]

Based on an Experience: Why Are Community Members So Cordial with SALT Facilitators? And What Did I Realize Anew?

Like every other day, on 29 October 2025, Wednesday, I sat in a meeting with my organization’s team. But after the meeting, I felt physically weak, and my teammates advised me to go home and take some rest.

However, around 11:30 a.m., the Assistant Head Teacher of Joynagar High School, Mr. S.M. Shahnoor, called me to come to school to meet him. As soon as he called, I went to the school and waited for him. While waiting, many questions were running through my mind. After finishing a class, Sir came to meet me.

He told me about an upcoming seminar on safe food, organized by the Department of Food officials. The seminar would be held with 160 students of the school. The government officials also wanted to hold a yard meeting (uthan boithok) with 50–60 women in an open environment. These discussions took place between the head teacher and the officials. The head teacher made the decision for the school and informed the assistant head teacher, who then told me about it.

Since it involved the community, they thought of me and our organization — Grow Your Reader Foundation. They were confident the task could be done through me because we have been working in the community for two years and have built a very good relationship with the people.

The assistant head teacher asked me to gather 60 community members, especially women and nearby college girls. I suggested gathering 50 people instead, and he agreed. That afternoon, I went to Hijlipara and invited 34 people, while Prokash bhai invited people from Uttarpara and Katakhali para.

The next day, from 10 a.m., we waited for the seminar to start. After a long wait, the officials finally arrived at 2 p.m. Munni Madam spoke about various topics — food contamination, food quality, how much food one should eat daily, how to keep food clean and preserved, as well as advice on mobile addiction and child marriage.

I shared the story of how students of Joynagar High School solved their drinking water problem by making clay filters. The officials were very happy to hear it.

What I Noticed in This Seminar:

I felt that their approach was mostly teaching-based. There could have been more reflection opportunities for the students — if they had been encouraged to reflect, they might have realized the importance more deeply and applied it in their lives.

Around 3:30 p.m., I went to the community area and arranged the sitting place for the meeting. I mingled with the community people, but I noticed that the government officials were sitting on chairs. From that moment, I realized that such physical separation in seating can make it challenging to truly reach the community closely.

When the community members responded so eagerly to our invitation, I appreciated them a lot. Along with the speeches of the food department officials, I also spoke about myself, our organization, and the changes that have taken place in the community. I highly appreciated the community members in front of everyone and shared how they are playing active roles in bringing positive changes — like grandparents storytelling session, children’s play activities, vegetable gardening in courtyards, and mothers helping their children study.

The government officials were very pleased to hear about these initiatives. Seeing the large gathering in Hijlipara, they said with surprise:

> “So many people! In other places, when we ask for 50–60 participants, usually only about 20 come. That’s why we expected the same here. But this place completely changed our perception!”

I believe the reason for this strong participation is that, over these two years, we have built a bond of sincerity and trust with the community. And the bridge that created this relationship is the SALT conversation. Through SALT, our group has developed a strong collective mindset to come together.

After the program, the community people noticed some differences between us and the government officials. Sufia Kaki (grandmother) and Sagarika Kaki (grandmother) said:

> “You people always appreciate us, you listen to our stories — but here, none of that happened.”

They especially mentioned that they feel much more comfortable spending time with us. From their words, I realized how deep and trusting our relationship with them has become through SALT.