What you discard, another could treasure

The walls in Dhaka city are either plastered with posters and graffiti and pockmarked with spittle. But even as the constricting metropolis chokes on itself, some walls still speak of compassion.

In Mohakhali’s Wireless Circle, just across the street from Brac University next to the central laboratory of the Public Health Engineering Deparment, a rather humane wall stands out.

A teal, rectangular arch adorned with a simple message: “What is unnecessary for you might be necessary for someone else” [apnar oproyojon hote pare onno karo proyojon]  leans against the wall. One of the arch’s columns reads: “Leave your or your children’s unnecessary clothes or toys here” while the other reads: “Take what you or your children may find necessary.”

Clothes are draped from hangars on the arch. Many affluent members of society are donating belongings they do not find useful anymore for the destitute. Those in need are are obtaining them without paying for anything.

The initiative “Manobotar Proyojone” was introduced by local residents, entrepreneurs, and students as an experiment.

One of their numbers, Md Sanwar Hossain, who works for an adverising agency called Mediacom, said the initiative was introduced last Thursday, and will conclude on this Thursday.

He said the initiative has seen excellent reception, with daily donations of 40-50 articles of clothing. Of particular, he noted, that a lot of people are sending clothes if they cannot drop it off.

Local rickshaw-pullers and many residents of the Korail slum are frequent visitors to collect what they need.

Sanwar said if the initiative proves to be a success, they might expand upon it in the future.