For the third consecutive day, the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) at Dhaka University (DU) has been bustling with a mass relief collection drive for flood victims.
On Saturday afternoon, people are seen arriving from far and wide to donate whatever they can.
Relief materials, including puffed rice, biscuits, clean water, various types of dry food, clothes, oil, rice, salt, sanitary napkins, medicines, and saline, are being brought in by rickshaws and pickups. Many are also contributing cash donations.
Students have taken the lead as volunteers, managing various aspects of the relief operation. Some are meticulously tracking the cash donations, while others are busy sorting and organizing the food, clothing, and other items.
Zaki Tahmeed, a student of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), stayed up all night working as a volunteer.
He said: “I have never seen this kind of unity among people. People from all walks of life came here and we worked side by side all night to prepare the relief packages for the flood-affected people.”
The TSC has transformed into a city of relief efforts in this new Bangladesh, he added.
The anti-discrimination student movement launched the mass relief collection campaign on Thursday to support flood victims across the country.
By Saturday, the campaign gained significant momentum, with people from all walks of life actively participating.
On the second day of the campaign, Friday, a total of Tk1,42,50,196 was raised through cash and mobile banking channels, with Tk1,08,23,173 collected in cash.
Observations at TSC show that all other activities have been set aside to focus solely on relief efforts.
Vehicles loaded with relief supplies are lined up in an orderly fashion, guided by Rover Scouts who are maintaining order.
Announcements are frequently made over the microphone, instructing people to stay on the sidewalks and allow the vehicles to move smoothly.
Several makeshift booths have been set up at TSC’s main gate, where over ten volunteers are busy recording the donated items and the names of the donors.
The volunteers are working tirelessly, leaving almost no space for others to stand.
After being registered, the relief items are carried inside by the volunteers for packaging.
The TSC cafeteria is filled with relief supplies, and packaging is also ongoing at the Ducsu canteen. From there, the items are loaded onto large trucks at night and sent to the flood-affected areas, where the crowds are comparatively less.
Mohammad Mohiuddin, co-coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement, said that the relief collection is continuing for the third day.
He assured that they will provide an update on the total amount collected by evening or night. The relief items will then be dispatched to the flood-affected areas in large trucks.
On the first day of the relief collection campaign, Thursday, Tk29,76,173 was raised.
Several trucks filled with relief goods were sent to the affected areas after being packaged that night.
Abdul Hannan Masud, one of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement, said that around 400 volunteers are working on this initiative.
The collected relief includes cash donations, dry food, saline, sanitary pads, emergency medicines, candles, matches, molasses, various types of clothing, and water purification tablets.
Saima Khatun, who came from the New Market area with her four-year-old child, made a cash donation at the booth.
She said: "After August 5, this country truly feels like my own. I’ve heard a lot about the relief collection here, so I decided to come myself today. It’s less crowded in the morning, but the crowd grows in the afternoon. I could be affected by the flood too, so it’s my duty to help the victims in any way I can."
Additionally, a concert titled "Joruri Songjog" was organized at the foot of the Raju Sculpture at TSC to crowdfund for the flood victims. The event, organized by leaders and activists of left-leaning student organizations, ran from afternoon to midnight.
Faria Islam, one of the organizers of concert, said Tk21,46,503 has been collected in six hours through crowdfunding.
Aside from these two initiatives, students from various departments and halls at Dhaka University are also gathering relief supplies and funds in their own ways to support the flood victims.
Our DU Correspondent Mahathir Mohammed contributed to this report.