1di Steps up for Aila Victims

Cyclone Aila caused hundreds of deaths, agricultural damage to rice crops, raised river levels and broke through mud embankments. There were countless victims who were, and still are, in need of help.

In June 2009, 1° Initiative began to collect aid. We sent out messages to everyone we knew and requested them to donate aid materials like clothes, dry food, money, saline, medicines, etc and drop them off at several pick-up/drop-off points across the city. In collaboration with CommunityAction, we also set up donation boxes at different schools and centres across Dhaka, where students were encouraged to make small contributions.The plan was to use the donated money for long term rehabilitation of Aila victims, such as setting up tubewells on high-raised ground for access to clean drinking water and building new homes. The team was glad to receive a huge response in terms of donations in the form of both money and relief materials.

In late June, two members from 1di, Mushfiq and Sohail Bhai, travelled to Satkhira to distribute the Aid. They carried with them packets full of chaal (rice), daal (lentil/pulses), atta and moida (flour), salt, sugar, other dry food, saline, candles, clothes and medicines. Special thanks go to Rick Davis of American International School, Dhaka, for his large donation and to an organisation called Anjuman Mufidul Islam, which donated most of the relief food materials.

Mushfiq and Sohel Bhai stayed at a small hotel in Shamnogor throughout their 5-day trip. The first three days they met up with members from Phulkuri, Far East Company and Bangladesh Youth Forum, who volunteered to help with the aid distribution.

Together, they travelled to Horinogor, Kodomtola, Joynogor and Kashimari, and found the best locations to plant tube-wells. This was the field-work for a future project 1di and CA both hope to undertake. They also visited Atulia and some other places where schools and mosques were affected badly by Aila. Special thanks go to Jalil Sir and Reazul Sir (from the Far East Company) and Kamal Bhai, Mejbah Bhai and other bhaiyas from Phulkuri for showing our members around.

On the fourth day of the trip, the actual relief distribution began. First stop was Atulia, where Phulkuri had also set up a Medical Camp with medicines donated largely from CA. Relief was subsequently also distributed in Pakhimara, Protobnogor, Chakla Gram, and Noyabeki.

The Satkhira trip and the relief distribution were immensely successful and 1di hopes to continue to work for long-term rehabilitation of Aila victims in the future.

See more pictures of the Satkhira trip

Project time span: June 2009

Members involved: Asif Aziz Khan, Mushfiq Rahman, Tanzim Taher, Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, Abu Sayeed Mohammed Sohel.

1di is proud to announce that with sponsorship collected from different sources, and the funds raised from 1° of Celebrations, with the help of Sohel Bhai, Kamal Bhai and others from Phulkuri, five tubewells were set up in four villages -  Diglarai, Pakhimari, Noyabeki, Protobnogor. These tubewells are currently under use by the locals and are functioning quite well!