Tasks/Information & connectivity
Online services help desk
A table on market day or beside the union council: showing, hands on, how to reach online services like birth registration, allowances, stipends and job applications.
- 0/3 people
- About 5 hours
- 10
- points
About this task
From the far villages of hilly Khagrachhari, getting to the upazila town takes time and money; online services close at hand save the trip. A table on market day or beside the union council, showing people on their own phones how to check a birth registration, apply for allowances, stipends and jobs, and call 333 for government information, with a one-page guide for each service.
Why it matters
Many government services are now online, but people unused to the internet pay middlemen, and are sometimes cheated. Done once with their own hands, people gain confidence.
What changes after
At least forty people helped; printed guides left at the union council; people know which jobs need no middleman.
Who can join
Anyone patient who knows smartphones and online services well.
Step by step
0 of 3 steps doneHow to do it, in order.About 6 hours across all steps
- 1
Place and day
With the union digital centre’s or council’s permission, on market day.
60 min
Not startedIn hand:Nobody yet - 2
Simple guides
One page per service: which website, which papers, what it costs.
120 minপ্রিন্ট
Not startedIn hand:Nobody yet - 3
Sit at the desk
Shown on people’s own phones; never take anyone’s password or OTP yourself.
180 min
Not startedIn hand:Nobody yet
What you need
- Printed guides · ২০০ পাতা
When it counts as done
- At least forty people helped, listed by service (not by name)
Proof required
- Photo
- Document
Safety
Never learn, note or keep anyone’s password, PIN or OTP. Take no money.
The full guide
What it takes, and how to do it
Never done this before? No matter. The cost, the timeline, who does what, whom to speak to, the day hour by hour, the risks and ready words to send are all here.
- About
- ৳1,400–2,500
- People
- 3
- Time in all
- 5 hours
- Age
- 16 or older
Best timeAll year; market day brings the most people. Most useful just before allowance, stipend or admission application periods. 10 am to 2 pm.
PermissionGet the consent of the union parishad secretary or the union digital centre entrepreneur; written permission if you sit in the council yard. At a market, tell the market committee.
What it costs
Prices differ by district and season; this is a 2026 estimate. Keep receipts and put them in the proof.
| What | How much | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Printed one-page guides200 pagesWhere: Photocopy shop | 200 pages | ৳2–3 |
| Banner: “Free help with online services”1Where: Flex print shop | 1 | ৳300–600 |
| Multi-plug extension board (for charging phones)1Where: Electrical shop | 1 | ৳300–600 |
| Mobile data (for demonstrating)3 peopleWhere: Mobile recharge shop | 3 people | ৳100–200 |
| Tally notebook and pens1 setWhere: Stationery shop | 1 set | ৳60–120 |
| Total (about) | ৳1,400–2,500 | |
Getting ready, step by step
10 days before
- Visit the union parishad or union digital centre and fix the day and place.
- Ask the entrepreneur which services people ask about most.
7 days before
- Write one page per service: where to apply, which papers, the official fee, where no middleman is needed.
- Check website addresses and fees against official sources or the digital centre; write nothing from guesswork.
3 days before
- Print the guides; make the banner.
- Go over the rules with the team: never a password, PIN or OTP; never money.
- Spread the word at the market and mosque.
On the day
- Show on people's own phones, with their own hands doing it.
- For each person helped, note only the type of service, not the name.
The week after
- Leave the remaining guides at the union parishad and digital centre.
- Add up the totals by service and post an update.
Who does what
Lead and welcome1
Seats people, asks what they need, sends them to the right helper, ticks the tally.
Application helper1
Shows applications or checks step by step on people's own phones; they type any password or OTP themselves.
Information and guides helper1
Hands out the right guide, teaches calling 333 for information, refers to the digital centre.
Whom to speak to first
The union digital centre entrepreneur
- Why
- Knows local questions; what the desk cannot do can be done at the centre at the official fee.
- How
- Meet first and explain this is not competition but sending people to the right place.
The union parishad secretary
- Why
- Permission for the yard; correct information on services like birth registration and allowances.
- How
- Give a written application and show the draft guides.
The market committee
- Why
- A spot for the table on market day.
- How
- Visit on the previous market day to agree a spot.
The day, hour by hour
- 09:30Set table and chairs, banner, guides; charging point.
- 10:00Desk opens; first listen and identify the service.
- 11:00Busiest time; a line and tokens if needed.
- 12:30Breaks in turns; one person always at the table.
- 13:30Last half hour; send those whose work needs the digital centre there.
- 14:00Desk closes; total the tally, photos, leave remaining guides at the council.
How to take the proof
- A photo of the desk with banner and table; no faces, no phone screens.
- A photo of the tally by service type (no names; at least 40).
- One copy or photo of the printed guides.
Common first-time mistakes
- Taking the phone and doing it all yourself; next time they go back to a middleman.
- Showing a wrong or fake website; use only official addresses.
- Writing people's names and numbers in the tally.
- Sitting beside the digital centre without telling the entrepreneur.
What can go wrong, and what to do
Someone tries to tell you their password, PIN or OTP
Stop them at once: “This is yours alone; tell nobody, not even us.” Let them type it themselves while you look away.
Someone offers money, or a team member takes it
Decline politely; tell the team beforehand that taking money cancels the task. Any official fee is paid only through the official channel.
Giving wrong information
If unsure, say so and send them to 333 or the digital centre; never guess.
Someone's NID or papers ending up on a team phone
Never photograph or keep anyone's papers on your phone; all work on their own phone.
Ready words to send
Copy, fill the [brackets], send.
WhatsApp / Facebook / loudspeaker notice
Free help with online services! When: [date], market day, 10 am to 2 pm Where: [union parishad yard/market spot] Checking birth registration, applying for allowances and stipends, job applications, 333 for government information: learn to do it yourself on your own phone. Bring: your own smartphone (charged) and the papers you need. Remember: we take no money, and we never ask for anyone's password, PIN or OTP. If anyone asks, do not give it. To volunteer, join this task's page on Desher Kaj.
Application to the union parishad secretary
Date: [date] To The Secretary [union] Union Parishad, [upazila], [district] Copy: Entrepreneur, [union] Union Digital Centre Subject: Permission for a free online services help desk in the council yard. Sir/Madam, We are [team name], a volunteer team on the Desher Kaj platform. On [date], from 10 am to 2 pm, we wish to sit at a table in the council yard and show people, on their own phones, how to reach online services such as checking birth registration and applying for allowances and stipends. We will take no money from anyone, never learn anyone's password, PIN or OTP, and keep no photos of anyone's papers. Work that needs the digital centre will be sent there. We ask for your kind permission. Yours faithfully [Name], team lead [team name]
After it is done
- Leave the guides at the council and digital centre; reprint when any detail changes.
- Make the desk a regular market day each month; people will remember the day.
- Note the most common questions; the next guides start with them.
Questions people ask
Can we charge for the help?
No. This is voluntary; taking money cancels the task.
Can I join if I cannot stay the whole time?
Yes. Say in your request which step or which hours you can do. The lead will give that step to you.