FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Everything we are asked most often, answered from what we actually do rather than what sounds best. Where we do not yet have an answer, the question says so.
Donations
How can I donate to AKWO?
Three ways. You can give by card on our donate page, which is processed by GiveWP in Bangladeshi taka. You can transfer directly to our account at BRAC Bank Ltd, account title Abul Khair welfare organization, account number 2057022470001, Brahmanbaria SME Krishi Branch, routing number 060120438. Or you can give in person at the office at Baishmouja Bazar. Whichever route you use, tell us the date, amount and reference so that we can send you a receipt and report to you on what your gift did.
Can I donate from outside Bangladesh?
Yes. International transfers can be sent to our BRAC Bank account using SWIFT code BRAKBDDH, with the full account title Abul Khair welfare organization and account number 2057022470001. Please send us the date, amount and reference of the transfer so that we can match it, because a foreign transfer often arrives on our statement without a usable sender name. Card payments from outside Bangladesh depend on the gateway decision the trustees are making now, and this page will be updated when it is settled.
Will I get a receipt?
Yes. Card donations generate an emailed receipt automatically as soon as the payment clears. For a bank transfer or a mobile money payment we issue the receipt once we have matched your payment against our statement, which is why we ask you to send us the date, amount and reference. If a receipt has not reached you, write to support@abulkhairwelfare.org with those details and we will send it again.
Can I give monthly?
Yes, and it is the most useful way to support us. The Friday clinic runs every week whether or not an appeal is running, and monthly gifts are what keep the medicine cupboard stocked between appeals. Choose the monthly option on the donation form and set any amount you like. You will receive a receipt for each payment.
How do I change or cancel a monthly donation?
From the donor dashboard on this website at any time, with no notice period and no explanation required. If the dashboard does not work for you, email contact@abulkhairwelfare.org or call +88 01768 003 747 and we will make the change for you. Cancelling stops all future payments immediately.
Can I choose which program my donation supports?
Yes. Name the program when you give, either in the message field on the donation form or as the reference on a bank transfer, and we will record your gift against it and report on that program specifically. If a program is already fully funded for the period we will ask you before moving your gift anywhere else. Gifts with no program named go to general funds, which is where the running costs of the clinic sit.
Can I donate medicine, food or equipment instead of money?
Sometimes, and it is worth asking first. We can use medicines that are in date and correctly stored, staple food in sealed packaging, blankets, and equipment the clinic or the training center actually needs. We cannot accept medicines close to expiry, opened packaging or equipment we have nowhere to store. Contact us before sending anything so that we can tell you whether it will be used.
Is my donation tax deductible?
The tax treatment of donations to Abul Khair Welfare Organization is being confirmed with our accountants, and we will not state anything on this until it is verified: tax treatment of donations, in Bangladesh and for donors abroad
The clinic
Is the clinic really free?
Yes, completely. There is no consultation fee, no registration fee, and no charge for the medicines we hold in stock. Nobody is asked what they earn and nobody is asked to prove anything. The clinic has run on this basis every Friday since July 2019.
Who can attend the clinic?
Anyone who needs to. In practice most of the people who come are women, children and elderly people from Krishnanagar and Birgaon Unions, but we do not restrict the clinic to any village, union, community or group. People travel in from further along the river and are seen in the same order as everybody else.
Do I need an appointment?
No. Come to the office at Baishmouja Bazar between 10:00 and 14:00 on a Friday. Patients are seen in the order they arrive, except that very small children, pregnant women and people who are clearly frail are moved forward in the queue. Arriving early is the surest way to be seen without a long wait.
What conditions does the clinic treat?
Common primary care conditions and chronic disease management: fever, coughs and chest infections, diarrhea, skin complaints, joint and back pain, general weakness and nutritional deficiency, alongside diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma. We also provide wound dressing, infection management, prenatal checks and nutrition advice. Where a case needs a hospital, an operating theater or a specialist we do not have, our doctors say so and refer the patient on.
Can the clinic handle an emergency?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. The clinic offers primary care and referral, with first aid where it is needed. If you have a medical emergency, go to a hospital rather than waiting for a Friday. Our doctors will refer urgent cases and tell you where to go, but the clinic is not an emergency department and does not have the equipment to be one.
Where exactly is the clinic?
At the Abul Khair Health Care office at Baishmouja Bazar, on the Meghna river bank in Birgaon, Nabinagar Upazila, Brahmanbaria 3410. The building carries the organization's name in Bengali and English. If you are not sure you have the right place, call +88 01768 003 747.
How do the mobile health camps work?
About twice a month a team travels out to a village, school or riverside settlement and runs a clinic there for the day, with free check-ups, blood testing, consultations and medicines. Venues are confirmed shortly before each camp because they depend on permission from a school or union office, and they are announced on our events page and Facebook page as soon as they are settled.
Volunteering and partnership
Who can volunteer?
Anyone who can be relied on. The largest single need on a clinic morning is people who write clearly, count accurately, speak kindly to someone who is frightened, and stay until the last patient has been seen. Medical training is welcome but not required for most roles. We ask for honesty about your availability, respect for patients' privacy, and acceptance of the organization's rule that it takes no political position.
Can I volunteer if I do not live in Brahmanbaria?
Yes. Fundraising, communications, translation and partnership work can all be done from anywhere, and Bangladeshis abroad do most of our fundraising. If you are visiting the district, tell us in advance and we will arrange for you to work a clinic day or a campaign while you are here.
I am a doctor or a nurse. How can I help?
Join a mobile health campaign or a Friday clinic. Specialist doctors travel from Dhaka for our camp days, and we always need more. Tell us your specialty, your registration and the dates you could give, and we will match you to a camp. Visiting doctors are named in the report we publish after the camp, with their agreement.
My company wants to support you. What can we fund?
A clinic day, a mobile camp, a Ramadan distribution, a computer training batch or a stage of the Academic Building. We agree the scope and the budget in writing before anything starts, and afterwards you receive an account of exactly what was delivered, with the patient or household numbers and expenditure against budget. Employee volunteering days can be arranged around a distribution.
Can our school or university host a blood donation drive?
Yes. We regularly hold blood campaigns with colleges, schools and universities. Contact us with your institution, the date you have in mind and the space you can provide, and we will tell you what we need from you and what we bring.
The organization
Is AKWO a registered organization?
Yes. Abul Khair Welfare Organization is registered with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Government of Bangladesh, under Reg No. Brahman 615/24, granted in 2024. Our NGO Affairs Bureau number is being confirmed before we print it: NGO Affairs Bureau registration number, or confirm the seal should be removed
Who runs the organization?
Twelve people. Marshall M. Hussain founded it in 2019 and chairs it. Manzurul Wasey Shitab is co-founder and chief executive. A third leadership role covers finance and projects. Five people run the medical side, including three medical consultants, the clinic in-charge and a health assistant. Two run field programs and communications, and the rest are volunteers. All of them are named, with photographs, on our team page.
Where does your money come from?
Monthly contributions from our members, donations from friends and well-wishers, and the work of volunteers cover our regular activities. Each project has a proposed budget which we raise against before starting work. In an emergency such as a flood or a cold spell we go back to the community with a specific appeal, and that money is accounted for separately from regular income.
How do you report on what you spend?
Every donor to a specific activity receives a written account of that activity: what was delivered, to how many people and at what cost. Summaries are published on this website and on our Facebook page, with the patient count for every clinic report and the household count for every distribution. Downloadable annual, project and financial reports are being prepared, and until they are published a written account of any project is available on request.
How much of my donation goes on running costs?
The organization is run largely by volunteers and its office is a single building at Baishmouja Bazar, so overheads are small, but we will not quote a percentage we have not audited. The figure will be published with the first financial report: audited split between program costs and running costs
Where do you work?
Our regular work is in Krishnanagar Union and Birgaon Union in Nabinagar Upazila, Brahmanbaria district. The clinic office is at Baishmouja Bazar on the Meghna river bank, and the Academic Building is at Uttar Lakshmipur High School. Campaigns have gone further when needed, including a flood response at Umedpur in Mogra Union, Akhaura, which treated more than 250 people.
What is the difference between AKWO and AKHC?
Abul Khair Welfare Organization (AKWO) is the organization. Abul Khair Health Care (AKHC) is its healthcare project, inaugurated on 4 July 2019, which runs the free Friday clinic and the mobile camps. Older signs, banners and photographs use the AKHC name because for the first years the clinic was almost the whole of the organization's work.
Is AKWO connected to any political party or business?
No. The founder set the organization's rule at the start: it works without political or business-for-profit ambitions. We take no position in local or national politics, we run no business, and we do not campaign for any candidate. We do keep local government offices and departments informed about our activities, because a camp on public premises needs their permission.
Still not answered?
Write to us and we will reply within three working days.
Registered with the Ministry of Social Welfare, Government of Bangladesh · Reg No. Brahman 615/24