Millennium Fellows of 2021: BRACU Response Team

BRAC University Response Team (BURT) started its journey in late March 2020 when Covid-19 cases surged. The current panel members and some other enthusiasts took the initiative to come forward and aid people in every possible way during the time of strict lockdown.
To help people in crisis, the team arranged blood and plasma donations, ICU beds, and oxygen cylinders by persuading donors through phone calls. They made arrangements for crowdfunding while simultaneously prioritising the physical and mental well-being of those in need. They have handled more than 170 cases thus far. However, setting up the project was not easy; convincing people to donate and organising ICU beds during the shortage of healthcare facilities was quite the challenge.
Apart from that, BURT had recently organised a ‘Winter Campaign’ where they donated blankets and winter wear to Dhaka, Rangpur, Dinajpur, and Sylhet. Simultaneously, they had started another project titled ‘Project Hashimukh’, under which they fed more than 600 people in front of Brac University during the holy month of Ramadan. The successful implementation of these projects led them to plan another event titled ‘Project Jibon’, in which the team hopes to plant trees in different districts of Bangladesh.
Since The Millennium Fellowship convenes challenges and celebrates bold student leadership advancing the sustainable development goals on campus and in communities, BURT was eager to embrace this opportunity. The team was optimistic about BURT and the reliability of the projects they organised.
BURT initially started their project to help those in need and impact society. They hope events like Project Hashimukh, Winter Campaign, and Project Jibon will motivate citizens to come forward and work for the community. “Receiving the Millennium fellowship helped us achieve our goals and also elevated our leadership skills”, said Sartaz Islam Shovon (Alumnus, CSE), the former president of the team. Obtaining prestigious recognition from United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) and the Millennium campus network has opened various opportunities for BURT. The team envisions working in broader perspectives and hopes that other universities will take the initiative to acknowledge and guide them in the future.