House of Volunteers (HOV)
House of Volunteers (HOV), a non-profit organization, was primarily formed by a group of students from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in early 2007. The main objective is to voluntarily work on low cost high impact solutions to bring improvements in education and environmental sectors. It was formally registered as non-profit organization in Bangladesh in 2009 under the societies registration act.
Currently HOV has total 200 professional and student members in home and abroad under its three student chapters and one country chapter.
HOV Way of Working
HOV works in a collaborative model and provides a volunteering platform for university students on skill based activities, which go beyond conventional volunteering activity. HOV encourages personal growth amongst members by giving them an opportunity to work on solving real- world problem around them, endorsing empowers by lending voice to their ideas and opinions, and hopes to install in them a need, an urgency to help others as well as providing a platform for networking.
Under the auspices of country-level chapter HOV Bangladesh, three chapters exist at renowned institutions including Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), University of Dhaka (DU), Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST). However it also conducted training to develop additional pool of resources at other institutions, which are not their chapters.
Approach and Financing
HOV runs its operations and volunteer projects by project sponsorship, member’s subscription and donations. Previously, HOV has been implemented several volunteer projects and volunteer development programs worth of USD 50,000. Some of mention-able projects are – Opens Source Computer Education Program (OSCEP), Earthquake Awareness Program (EAP), Books for Bangladesh and Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWPBD).
Way Forward
HOV has a plan to scale up all its ongoing initiative such include more schools in Bangladesh Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWPBD), resume Earthquake Awareness Program (EAP) again with adding new project component and reach out earthquake prone areas and also building capability for community awareness in future.
HOV is looking its further expansion through increasing number of projects as well as opening new student chapters. The new program on “Mental Health and Wellbeing” will be expanded its reach this year and HOV expected to launch new projects taking support from other concern non-profit organization. Also aiming to open another student chapters in Dhaka to strengthen its volunteers base thus to support planned broaden activities.