The sharing of warmth

While many Dhakaites were busy getting ready to celebrate the New Year's eve, South Asian Youth Society (SAYS) chose the last day of 2013 to launch one of its most successful projects of recent times, "Sharing Warmth - Connecting Humans for a Humane Cause."

After spending ten grueling days to collect funds, finding sponsors and other interested community organizations to join their cause, and buying winter clothes and blankets, the young SAYS members reached out to the winter-affected people of Kurigram, Netrokona and Mymensingh.

On Jan. 10, SAYS distributed 6,000 pieces of warms clothing and blankets in Mymensingh and Netrokona, marking the end of the first phase of their project. On Jan. 18, the members distributed another 2,000 pieces of warm clothes and blankets in three different areas of Kurigram, one of the districts hit worst by the recent spells of cold wave.

They also distributed winter clothes and blankets among the 96 students of Rikta Akter Banu Budhhi Protibondhi Bidyaloy, a school for autistic children in Kurigram. The organizers later took a long boat ride to donate clothes and blankets among the inhabitants of "Oshtomir Char," one of country's remote islands.

In addition to collecting funds from those living in the country, SAYS used PayPal to collect money from their friends, family and well-wishers residing abroad.

"A blanket costs only Tk. 200. Many of us use Tk. 200 to buy a cup of coffee. But a blanket bought for Tk. 200 can save a life," said Towfique A. Khan, president of SAYS.

Founded in 2008, SAYS is a regional organization working toward promoting youth empowerment, community development, civic education, active citizenship, and peace and prosperity among youths of South Asia. The organization currently has 260 members and 1,000 volunteers, known as young change makers.

By Wara Karim

January 28, 2014
The Daily Star link

Comments

Why teaching kids about money is more important than ever

Growing up in the '80s and '90s, we never discussed money at home. My parents never discussed it with us, so I never knew how much a kilogram of rice or a dozen eggs cost. I also did not know how much we paid for rent or utility bills. I did not know how much our family earned and how much we spent each month. Of course, we do not want to sit with our children with a spreadsheet and give them a headache, but it is important to discuss money management with children as they get older. This knowledge will help them make more informed financial decisions as adults. The Daily Star link Discussing money is often considered taboo, not only in Bangladesh but also in many other parts of the world. However, financial literacy is crucial to our financial well-being, which is closely linked to our physical and psychological well-being. I have seen people, friends, and family make poor financial decisions and sink into debt. I have seen how credit cards resulted in excessive spending a...

Aboard the world’s longest flight

Long-haul flights can be daunting, but the idea of flying the world’s longest commercial flight can be especially daunting, even for some seasoned flyers. As an expatriate Bangladeshi living in the US, I am no stranger to long-haul flights. Even so, I was somewhat skeptical about surviving Singapore Airlines ’ SQ 23 , which takes off from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York and lands at Changi Airport, Singapore , making it the world’s longest passenger flight; a total of 19 hours from gate to gate. We drove 2.5 hours from Delaware to New York, then took an Uber to JFK after parking our car. After checking in and clearing airport security, we finally had some time to relax. Our business class tickets gave us access to the Air India lounge , where I thought their furniture could use an upgrade. The food, however, turned out to be surprisingly delicious. As we waited for our flight to start boarding, I felt that a long drive and a lengthy security c...

LIFE AS IT IS

Search This Blog