The Covid-19 pandemic was a life changing event for people from all walks of life.

Students of Chittagong University were no different.

During the two-year closure of the university amid the pandemic, many CU students experienced financial hardship and uncertainty due to inconsistent and meagre earnings from tuitions.

Even after CU reopened, the situation did not improve overnight. Facing financial strains, students who come from poor backgrounds had to often spend days starving while living on the campus to continue their studies. While many chose to remain silent and bear their agonies, some opted to seek support on different Facebook pages.

Nur Nabi Robin, a student of communication and journalism department at CU, noticed the humanitarian appeals in social media and started thinking about how to solve the crisis.

His friends Hasan and Mahmudul Hasan Maruf also joined him in the effort.

Together, the three reached out to Reazul Karim, an assistant professor of the department, who joined them as chief patron to launch "Uttaran", a platform to provide free meals to students on CU campus, in 2022.

The journey began with their modest contributions to the Suhrawardy Hall dining. Little did they know, the initiative would end up benefiting nearly 1,500 male and female CU students over the next two years.

"We began by sharing the campaign on various CU Facebook pages. Identities of those in need were kept private, and all they needed to do was sign a logbook after having a meal. The feedback we received was incredibly positive and exceeded our expectations," said Robin, who recently completed his post-graduation.

At present, with the combined effort of 20 CU teachers and students from different departments, the platform is not only providing free meals but also offering tuition fees, IT training, stipends, and mental health support to CU students.

Uttaran has introduced the "Ayesha Siddiqa Education Merit Scholarship", sponsored by CU alumnus Tarek Mahmud, an official at the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Over the past two years, nine students have benefited from this scholarship, and in the future, Uttaran aims to expand its initiatives both domestically and internationally, with plans to extend the concept to other public universities.

"For transparency, we keep all activities monitored and documented, while each year's balance sheet is presented to all patrons, donors and beneficiaries at yearly meetings," said Robin.

Rezaul Karim, currently pursuing his PhD at Arizona State University in the US and overseeing Uttaran remotely, said, "Upon learning about the initiative, I actively participated and advised my students to initiate teamwork to collect funds."

"The journey would have been challenging without the backing of my colleagues, students, and well-wishers," he said.