Winter has been ever-evasive in Dhaka this year. Many felt the normal Bangladesh heat, with a slight chill every now and then. But it was in the remote rural regions of the country that many still suffered the harsh winter, more so due to the lack of clothes and blankets to shield them from the cold and keep them warm.

And like every year, the AIUB Social Welfare Club, ‘Shomoy’, ran their annual “Winter Clothing Drive” to raise funds and donated clothes to help those less fortunate, at the Briuil Village of the Bhoggram Union in Rajshahi. Together with the contributions donations from the staff and student body, as well as those of the other active student clubs in the university, namely the AIUB Business Club, the AIUB Community of Engineering Students, the AIUB Drama Club, the AIUB Film Club, the AIUB Performing Arts Club, AIUB Photography Club, and the AIUB Chapter of the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineering, the campaign collected funds to provide around 900 warm blankets to families in need. Members of the clubs donated individually and even organized their own respective events for fund-raising and donated the proceeds to the cause.

On the 9^th of January 2017, the members of Shomoy Club, visited several households of the villagers, observing the dire conditions in which many of them were living, some of who were even former freedom fighters. Those in desperate need of warmth to survive the cold winter, were provided with tokens for collecting their warm blankets from the designated distribution center. Despite the overwhelming turnout, with the guidance of the local authorities, the distribution was successfully completed. The generous contributions and joint efforts of all concerned and the Shomoy Club, has generated almost twice as much funds this year, enabling the club’s noble initiative to reach that many more families in need and support them with warmth through this winter. AIUB has always been proud of Shomoy Club and all they have done for the community, as they continue to strive towards achieving a better place that the next generation can call home, and AIUB commends them for their passion and dedication towards the development of not just our nation, but us as human beings as well.