Standing by the Unseen Struggles

Standing Together in a Time of Crisis: BotSailor’s Commitment to Supporting Lives During COVID-19

How our team stood beside vulnerable families when it mattered most. The COVID-19 pandemic was not solely a health crisis. It changed lives, disrupted economies, and revealed the vulnerabilities of our socioeconomic frameworks. In Bangladesh, the consequences surfaced right away. Countless people lost their income sources and, alongside it, the ability to provide for their families.

At BotSailor, we realized early on that innovation alone was not sufficient for us as a developing software company. We needed to serve the community, as well. For us, corporate social responsibility is not an add-on—it is the very essence of what we do. When the pandemic hit, we made a deliberate decision to redirect some of our resources to those who desperately needed them.

We Turned Our Revenue into Relief—Because Business Success Means Little Without Social Responsibilit
In March and April—two of the earliest and most economically challenging months of the pandemic—we made a public commitment. We pledged: 

• 5% of BotSailor’s total revenue during March and April, and
• 20% of revenue earned through a specially launched 60% discount campaign on all software sold via our official website.
  
  

This dual initiative had a twofold purpose: to make essential software solutions more affordable for our customers during uncertain times, and to generate additional funds for people whose financial survival was at stake.

We were transparent from the beginning. Customers who purchased software during this campaign were informed that part of their payment would be used to support pandemic-affected individuals. Their trust enabled us to move forward.

Behind Every Quiet Struggle Lies a Real Need And We Chose to Reach Those Often Overlooked

Rather than stopping at recognizing known beneficiaries or performing the standard outreach, we pushed the boundary further. We aimed at providing assistance to a particular demographic that is rarely focused on: people from deep economic hardship who do not want to, or cannot, seek help due to a perceived risk to their dignity and social standing.  

Locating these individuals was quite a challenge. It required intelligent, unobtrusive outreach, and verification through community networks. But gradually, we were able to find a lot of people who fit this description, people who are in dire need, but have never sought help.  

Our intention was never to provide charity; this attempt focused on restoring hope. For these people, work was not available due to personal choice or fault – they had simply been ‘held’ for no reason by society’s protective mechanism. This restoration, we felt, was something that should be offered not as an aid, but rather, as a duty towards shared responsibility.

We Delivered Every Aid with Dignity and Care Upholding Respect, Privacy, and Pandemic Safety

We carefully and sensitively arranged for cash distributions to the families selected. We followed all health guidelines by wearing masks, maintaining a safe distance from others, avoiding gatherings, and delivering aid directly to the beneficiaries' doors. This method assured:

• Discretion: We did not advertise or make their assistance public. It was essential to protect their societal dignity.
  
• Courtesy: We offered our assistance, not as charity, but rather as fair payment for an interrupted work relationship.
  
• Confidentiality: There was no interaction that did not adhere to COVID policies with regard to the recipients and the rest of the team members. 

During the first phase, 160 families benefited from direct cash payments. Seeing the feedbacks and ongoing benefits from the supportive community, we proceeded with a second phase that extended the aid to an additional 50 families. There was no intent of ensuring assistance only once. There was, instead, a commitment from us to make sure to extend support for families that were unable to earn through work.

Our Belief: Shared Progress Requires Shared Responsibility, It Was Never Charity

At BotSailor, we closely follow a guiding maxim: a society is strongest when it supports every one of its contributors, particularly during times of crisis. The rickshaw pullers, housekeepers, vendors, and day laborers who temporarily lost the ability to work are fundamental members of society. They did not seek handouts; rather, they were given the opportunity to work, and we simply provided them what they deserved.

Where, in the world, will I find a place that considers the socioeconomic gap deeper than a canyon and made worse by a pandemic? As bleak as this might sound, our modest initiative was an attempt towards restoring equilibrium. Although we understand how small our contribution was in the face of such an overwhelming crisis, we would like to think that authentic change comes from an amalgamation of various individuals taking small, meaningful actions.

Every Contribution Matters

Recovery cannot be the responsibility of a single entity. We call on every working business and financially secure individual to do their part be it helping employees, supporting a colleague, or backing community groups no action is too minor.

Their support is what enabled the impact in the first place, and for that, we are proud to stand alongside the users in this mission. Regardless of the circumstances endured, our approach remains the same, sustaining their trust and driving us forward through calm and turbulent times.

More from Our CSR Journey

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