Smiles Amidst Greenery: Milestone's Children on the Path to Overcoming Trauma

In the lap of the lush greenery of Pubail, Gazipur, smiles seemed to have returned for a single day. But hidden behind those smiles was the weight of fear, grief, and unbearable memories carried for over a year. To help the students of Milestone School and College—who were injured in an Airforce jet crash on July 21 last year and lost their classmates and loved ones—overcome their trauma and return to normal life, a unique humanitarian initiative titled "Shobujer Majhe Amra Tomra" (You are Immortal Amidst the Greenery) organized its second phase.

Journalist and Rotarian Shahnaz Sharmin is delivering 
her speech. 

The day-long programme was held on Thursday at Chuti Resort in Pubail, Gazipur, jointly organised by Rotary Club of Banani Dhaka and Chuti Resort. Earlier, the first phase was held at Chuti Resort in Purbachal.

The day-long event featured open sports, drawing, storytelling, cultural performances, group activities, breathing exercises, meditation, and counselling conducted by professional mental health experts. The most emotional segment was the planting of saplings in memory of the students and teachers who died in the accident. Each tree was accompanied by the name of a lost student or teacher. According to the organisers, these trees will serve not only for the environment but also as living memorials to the lives that were cut short prematurely.

Milestone students play football.

Sharifullah, President of Rotary Club of Banani Dhaka, said, "Rotary's core philosophy is humanitarian service. The Milestone children are going through terrible psychological trauma, and it is society's responsibility to stand by them to help them overcome it. This healing programme to bring smiles back to their faces in a close-to-nature environment will continue in the future as well."

Md. Shamsul Islam Masud, Managing Director of Chuti Resort Pubail, said that beyond their business activities, they also have a responsibility towards society. This open environment, far from the city's noise, will play a positive role in dispelling the fear and anxiety accumulated in the children's minds.

Journalist and Rotarian Shahnaz Sharmin, the planner of this initiative, said that after the accident, while collecting news for 12 consecutive days at the Burn Institute, she herself became mentally devastated. At that time, she realised that if she, as a journalist, was so deeply affected, the children were going through even deeper trauma. From that realisation, she planned this healing arrangement for them.

At the event, former national women's football team player Rehana Parveen participated in sports activities with the children. She said, "Sports are one of the most effective ways to bring children back to happiness."

Monira Rahman, Executive Director of Innovation for Wellbeing Foundation, conducted a mental health session.

Later, speaking to Agamir Samay, she (Rehana Parveen) said, "Physical wounds heal over time, but mental wounds linger for a long time. The bandage to heal those wounds is 'Mental Health First Aid'."

Planting a sapling in the memories of lost friends, brothers and sisters.

Yusha (Nur-e-Jannat Yusha), a student who survived the accident, said that even after a year has passed, she still cannot return to normal. She gets scared at any loud noise, and even hearing the school bell terrifies her. She cannot sleep at night and has nightmares. Even her studies have been affected. In her words, "Earlier, it used to take me 10 minutes to write a paragraph; now it takes 30 to 40 minutes."

Yusha said that the memories of the accident still haunt her. While speaking about her deceased classmates, she became emotional and said, "I miss them so much. If I had them in front of me, I would hold them close."

Another student, Jayna, said she still remembers her friend Nazia and senior Tashnia Apu, who were lost in the accident, every single day. Whenever she goes to play in games class, the memories of her friends come back to her.

Student Jannatul Mawa said that she was standing on the first-floor balcony after tiffin when the horrific accident happened right before her eyes, and the memory still haunts her.

Former Bangladesh national women's football team player Rehana Parveen told Agamir Samay that many students broke down in tears while planting trees, because they still deeply remember their deceased classmates. According to her, if such arrangements are made every three or six months, or at least once a year, it will greatly help the children overcome their trauma.

Teachers of Milestone School and College, Rotary Club officials, representatives of Chuti Resort, and volunteers participated in the event. The organisers believe that the proximity to nature, counselling, and collective humanitarian initiatives will play a significant role in the mental recovery of the traumatised children.