Winter entices Bangladesh into a trance of painfully short days in blissful blankets but warm tea and pitha. However, winter is only enjoyable for those who can actually afford the comfort. Can you imagine having to afford nice weather?
With winter comes the realisation of how many people only have a rag or two to cover their ears, let alone a blanket to protect them during the harsh, wintry nights. These include the lives of those inhabiting in areas where the temperature drops to its worst. For them, winter is synonymous to nothing but suffering, they starve for sunlight because the night only brings increased risk of pneumonia that summon the lives of their loved ones, and them.
Perception Foundation is a charity initiative by a group of passionate and bright youth of Dhaka who collaboratively try to make a difference in the lives of the underprivileged through spreading love. To do that, they initiate small programmes that leave a huge impact on the lives of the volunteers who help and the ones on the receiving end of it. For an initiative like Perception, winter is a major opportunity to reach out to people in need and somehow attempt to satisfy those needs. On January 9, Perception decided to hold its very first local clothing drive under the rather witty title of “Sweater Weather” to promote the spirit of giving.
On the day of its registration, volunteers came streaming into the “Sweater Weather” databases on social media. The plan was to have people register as groups of minimum five and maximum 10 and gather at the Roller Skating Ground. They would then be allocated to specific residential areas along with a team leader for each group. Their task was to go from door to door and convince people to donate for the cause. They would then bring back all the clothes they had collected, back to the venue. After a lunch break, two to three members of each team would be called upon to sort all the clothes they had collected into four categories. They were assisted by children, who may lack financial stability but never on the grounds of spirit, to endorse bonding and help accelerate the process. After all the clothes were sorted, all volunteers and winning teams received awards for their performance and dedication.
Many of the roads in Dhanmondi were speckled with volunteers treading on the pavements. Convincing people to donate was only half the journey. Team logistics and battle strategies had to be swiftly prepared by all the team members and team leaders as the clock was ticking.
From one steel gate to another wooden gate, the teams had to map out every nook and cranny. Numerous times their optimism and confidence were trodden upon by rude security guards or indolent ones who would repeat the age old excuse that there was nobody at home although the garage was occupied. It took a lot of energy to get through them since they weren’t willing to step aside and allow a group of teenagers do some community service. If the teams were lucky, the buildings would have a functioning elevator. Each door bell was rung with unmatched hopefulness that was often rewarded by a huge sack of old clothes, discouraging remarks, or even worse, no answer. Residents ranging from kind middle-aged aunties who even offered oranges along with old clothes, to clueless lodgers and the neighbouring residents, who were rather skeptical.
As the teams had to report back to the venue at 3pm, a stream of volunteers stormed in with their collection to see if they qualified. With a whopping 60 boxes of donations, 12 sacks of clothing and brand new toys, Team Ovi, lead by Shahed Mahmood Ovi, won the “Most Donated Clothes” award. Team Ovi was a game changer and their highly commendable strategies proved to be fruitful. Team Geezers, lead by Samreen Fuad, won for the “Fastest Sorter,” with the most boxes sorted in merely a minute and a half.
Trucks were rented to carry these donations out to Sylhet for distribution; an area most affected by the recent earthquake and soon expected to be plagued by a cold wave. The total donation consisted of 350 boxes, 40 sacks, and over a hundred blankets.
Perception and its volunteers hope that the underprivileged people in Bangladesh too can enjoy the sweater weather. Perception is thankful to the unmatched diligence of its organisers and of course, the volunteers who made this event successful and exciting. As for the readers, whether you have participated in community service or not, Perception wants you to be part of the family, and to be part of the change.