When Purujit Saha heard about the category 4 hurricane that hit Bangladesh on Nov. 15, he immediately thought of his family in the coastal town of Chittagong. The computer engineering senior and president of the Bangladesh Students Association said his family had evacuated and found their homes intact upon return after Hurricane Sider. But because many were not so fortunate, BSA, University College Center for Freshman Year and the Freshman Leadership Council joined together to raise money for relief efforts and victims in Bangladesh. In charge of the donation drive is Iftekhar Rouf, accounting freshman and FLC member. The Dhaka, Bangladesh native set up a booth Tuesday in Free Speech Alley. He and other volunteers, including Saha, will be there every day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Dec. 4 collecting donations and handing out informational flyers. “One dollar equals 70 taka, the Bangladeshi currency,” Rouf said. “One dollar can save a child’s life, and five dollars can save a family of four for over a week.” Rouf said although fewer people died than in previous hurricanes in Bangladesh, the hurricane spanned from one side of the country to the other, wiping out homes, livestock and crops. “We have plenty of people working over there but not enough money and not enough relief materials,” he said. Rouf said those interested can donate cash at the booth or donate online at the Save the Children, Red Cross and CARE Web sites. Rouf will be sending money to the Bangladesh Consulate in New York who will send it to the Chief Adviser’s Relief and Welfare Fund. Those who wish to write a check may make it out to the Bangladesh Consulate with the fund’s name as the memo, Rouf said. “I don’t care whether you’re sending the money through me or a different way,” he said. “All I care about is getting it there.” Saha said the December harvest in Bangladesh is totally ruined, and the country first needs relief materials and then help recovering the economy. “In the most affected region, agriculture is the only economy they have,” Saha said. “They need money to buy livestock and money to plant again.” Rouf said so far about 3,500 people have been found dead, but the Red Cross estimates a total of more than 10,000 will be found dead. Martina Scheuermann, mass communication sophomore and president of UCFY, said she was happy to help Rouf when he brought up the idea of a donation drive at a recent FLC meeting. “I think that Bangladesh is a country that could really use outside help,” she said. “Part of being a student at LSU is giving back to the communities around us and around the world.”
—-Contact Olivia Hernandez at [email protected]