Awareness 360 is a youth-led, voluntary, non-profit organization headquartered in

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, co-founded by Bangladeshi youth leaders Shomy Hasan Chowdhury and Rijve Arefin in October 2014. The organization operates in 23 countries and coordinates community service projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

History

Awareness 360 was founded by Shomy Hasan Chowdhury and Rijve Arefin following Chowdhury’s personal experience of losing her mother due to diarrhea in April 2014. This event led to the first initiative focused on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Initially, both founders provided capacity-building training to youth, later establishing Awareness 360.

Activities

Awareness 360 organizes youth volunteers to conduct community service projects addressing issues including sanitation, hygiene, quality education, mental health, human rights, gender-based violence, women's empowerment, climate action, and poverty alleviation. The organization involves over 1,500 volunteers from 23 countries, impacting over 150,000 lives globally. In

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

, Awareness 360 primarily addresses SDG-6 (clean water and sanitation) and women's empowerment. The organization has reached marginalized groups such as sex workers, sewerage workers, slum dwellers, homeless populations, underprivileged school children, and people with disabilities. During the Covid-19 pandemic, they provided essential food and hygiene items to vulnerable communities, including nearly 450 families in a brothel in

Mymensingh Mymensingh () is a metropolis, metropolitan city and capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of the Old Brahmaputra River, Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center ...

, and

Rohingya The Rohingya people (; ; ) are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who predominantly follow Islam from Rakhine State, Myanmar. Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, when over 740,000 fled to Bangladesh, an estimated 1.4 million Ro ...

refugees. Internationally, the

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

team supports SDG-4 (quality education) by funding school fees and providing baby clothing to underprivileged women. In

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, Awareness 360 promotes human rights and democratic values among youth. In

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, volunteers conduct mental health initiatives and support the homeless after severe weather events. The

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

team works on climate-related issues, while other countries, including

, address development among marginalized communities. Three global figures — Bob Delaney, Tessy Ojo CBE, and Cel Spellman — joined Awareness 360 as advisors and mentors to support its activities and initiatives.

Awards and Recognition

Awareness 360 has received awards, including: * The

Diana Award The Diana Award is an international award that honours young people who work to improve the lives of others. Named after Diana, Princess of Wales, the Diana Award was established in 1999 by a board chaired by Gordon Brown. History The award w ...

and the Legacy Award for contributions to community service. * Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia (Social Impact category, 2021) listing for founders Shomy Hasan Chowdhury and Rijve Arefin. The organization has also been acknowledged by platforms such as Global Citizen, Global Changemakers, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the US State Department, and the Commonwealth Students' Association for its community service initiatives.

References

{{Reflist Non-profit organizations Organisations based in Malaysia