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Emergency aid in Bangladesh: food and hygiene goods for the victims of Cyclone Amphan and Covid-19 Preparedness

Cyclone Amphan hit East India and Bangladesh on 20th May 2020, devastating coastal areas with massive wind speeds of up to 190 km/h and heavy rainfall. Millions of people lost all their belongings - in the middle of the Corona pandemic. The serious consequences of this double crisis in our project region Assasuni in Bangladesh require immediate support and help.

Our partner organisation determines the needs in order to provide emergency aid efficiently (pic: AWO International)
Our partner organisation determines the needs in order to provide emergency aid efficiently (pic: AWO International)

The cyclone particularly hit the coastal areas of Bangladesh: more than 2 million people lost their homes and had to be evacuated to emergency shelters. Resources to supply the residents are scarce: about 200,000 hectares of crops were completely destroyed by the floods. The hurricanes also destroyed the fishing industry and livestock farming in the country. The contamination of the water sources is spreading fear of disease among the inhabitants - in addition, there is the risk of infection with Covid-19.

Support for 1,500 families in Assasuni

Assasuni is one of the regions in Bangladesh that is most severely affected by the supercyclone – here, around 58,000 people suffered damage from the effects of the cyclone. This is where our project with the Bangladeshi partner organisation Gana Unnayan Kendra, GUK for short, comes in. As part of the immediate emergency aid, we are distributing food packages for 1,500 families in Assasuni, consisting of 25 kilograms of rice, two kilograms of lentils, two litres of oil, one kilogram of salt and five kilograms of potatoes. The supply of hygiene products is also crucial: Each family receives another package of protective masks, washing powder and soap. To maintain menstrual hygiene, we also distribute sanitary towels for women and teenage girls. This is to cover the needs for at least one month. The project also provides the families with a bucket with a lid and tap so that clean drinking water can be stored safely.

Saliha Khatun (48) lives in the village Kurikahuniya in Assasuni. The hut of the family of four was completely destroyed by the cyclone.

I have a daughter and a son. My husband is a day labourer and has no work at the moment. We do not have enough food, often there is only enough for two meals a day. We are very grateful to receive the food parcel from AWO and GUK

Our partner organisation GUK reports: "In the midst of the Corona crisis it is particularly important to maintain social distance during the distribution of relief supplies and to apply good hygiene practices at all times". Thus, in addition to the distribution of the parcels, public awareness initiatives are also being carried out to make the communities aware of measures to prevent Covid-19.

Projectinfo

Project Emergency Response to the Cyclone Amphan affected people in Satkhira district, Bangladesh
Place/Region Satkhira District, Asasuni, Bangladesh
Partner Gana Unnayan Kendra (GUK)
Target group 1,500 families (about 6,750 persons) belong to the direct target group. In addition to a focus on women, people with special needs such as children, the elderly and people with disabilities are given priority in selection and distribution.
Activities
  • Distribution of food parcels (25 kg rice, 2 kg lentils, 2 litres oil, 1 kg salt and 5 kg potatoes per family)
  • Distribution of parcels with hygiene articles (5 face masks, 1 kilogram of detergent and 3 pieces of soap each)
  • Distribution of sanitary towels (pack of 10 per family) to maintain menstrual hygiene
  • Distribution of buckets with lids and a tap for storing clean drinking water
  • Awareness raising on COVID-19 through leaflets (500 pieces) and radio reports
Duration 2020
Budget 52.900 Euro
Sponsor Aktion Deutschland Hilft

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