HOWBD is a content platform making common services and processes easier, simpler and faster to understand. Addressing the general lack of instantly accessible information when it comes to public services processes with regard to passports, NIDs, personal and corporate licenses etc, they fill the gap by creating short and simply explained videos.
We spoke to the team of seven talented individuals who worked on the platform covertly for a year from home, pushing through the pandemic, on their inspirations behind it.
How Everything Began
Access to essential information has always been a challenge for the common people, particularly when it comes to public services information. Especially when looking for information on the specific process or timeline of obtaining necessary government services such as birth passports, national smart cards, driving licenses, birth/death certificates, police verifications as well as examination registration.
This turned out to be a problem even we faced on a regular basis, and wished for a platform like HowBD to exist. Finding nothing of the sort, we decided to start our own. Sort of as our tiny contribution to the nation.
Why This Unorthodox Sector
Personal motivation is one of the greatest reasons for being in this sector for each and every one of us. We lost passports, made spelling mistakes on our NIDS, could not pick up our driving licenses, and even struggled to apply for death certificates after the passing of loved ones during COVID 19. All of the processes stated above took time to manage, and grit to understand from numerous parties and websites.
In a nation where taking charge of your own documentation is rare, we believe the first step to solving such a dilemma is by making the knowledge easy to digest. This way, it would be so intimidating to tackle.
The Biggest Hurdle
During the pandemic, HowBD started recording short, basic videos to deal with the common problems. Since last year, HowBD has been publishing them on social media for simple access. All operations were conducted online, with virtual software used to present close to 100 videos on a wide range of topics. The dedication for supporting the country is conveyed through the tagline, which states clearly: “Information, For the People, By the People, Of the People.”
The co-founding team includes Md Saimum Hossain, Rad Sharar Bin Kamal, Abdullah Al Mamun, Maisha Samiha, Nadira Ahmed, Jamilur Reza Efty and Fahim Bakhtiar; each specializing in different areas of the virtual initiative.
Social Challenges Trying To Solve
In our country, the lack of access to the availability of how-to information is confusing, and this fact creates two types of issues. The first is the large amount of time, money, physical, and mental energy that local and international information seekers must spend just to figure out where to go, what documents to present, and which signatures to collect etc. The second being the long-term impact like- loss of career and life opportunities for not being able to complete a certain process properly, on time. While access is the biggest problem, availability is also a significant one. The information on the internet is scattered across a variety of platforms, including informal channels like social media. These written pieces of information are frequently out of date, leading information seekers to make poor decisions based on outdated data. HowBD is addressing these issues and trying to solve these through short, easy, simple yet informative videos.
What makes the videos different
The simplicity of the language that is being used in the videos. Plain and clear Bangla content so that everyone from a teenager to a senior citizen can understand the process and apply in real life. Also, the information pools of the videos are only collected from authentic portals by a team of research writers and the content is intended to remain unbiased and non-partisan. It is fun to watch, time saving and available on all platforms.
To know more about our videos, visit www.howbd.org. The content is also present on Facebook and Instagram.
Why just videos
This is very interesting. We all know that during the pandemic, the number of people using the internet has increased significantly. As a result, Bangladeshi YouTube channels are on the rise. Moreover, videos are the best format of consumable content. People prefer to watch videos over reading articles. Because of our hectic lives, we are more interested in information that is brief and easy to understand. And what could be more efficient than 3-4 minute videos?
Area of Contents
So far, HOWBD has around 100 videos that are produced and published by its content and production team. HowBD has videos on passport, e-passport, NID, birth/death certificates, tax, customs pay, cyber crime, covid safety, different tests/examination registration, driving license, marriage/divorce, social media a to z, sim cards, immigration and police verification.
Shortage of Contents
There is no way to deny this but the scope in this area is huge. But the existing content is less interesting, not attractive at all, infotainment based, not presented by the right person with consistent and accurate information and have slow growth. As a result, people of this country are bound to rely on third parties to avail public services- which are costly and unpleasant for any sensible citizen. Thus, the content makers lack the idea of the fact that the processes are super easy and simple, just need to explain in an easy way.
Ensuring The Accuracy
As mentioned earlier, the content of the videos is designed to stay unbiased towards any particular political organization or party, and the information pools are always collected from legitimate websites by a team of research writers. We go through multiple quality checks to ensure the validity and authentication of the content.
