FAQ

The COVID-19 emergency food assistance fund is the name given to a combined pool of charitable financial assistance from BRAC and donations, and managed by BRAC. 

BRAC has an established and vast network of staff and volunteers able to reach the last mile in all 64 districts of Bangladesh and an efficient and rigorous monitoring mechanism to ensure contributions reach the people who need them the most. To learn more on how BRAC is responding to COVID-19, please read BRAC’s COVID-19 response in Bangladesh situation reports.

BRAC has been awarded as the number 1 non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the world for the fifth consecutive year in 2020, by Geneva based independent media organisation NGO Advisor. Read more about BRAC here: http://www.brac.net/who-we-are.

BRAC has been operating in Bangladesh for over 47 years and has deep understanding and insights into urban and rural communities. We have offices in all 64 districts of Bangladesh with more than 100,000 staff and volunteers actively working in the field to respond to the economic crisis of vulnerable families.

To provide the emergency cash assistance, BRAC targets people who are already living in extreme poverty across the country, those living in remote hard-to-reach areas such as haor (wetlands) and char (low-lying riverine island) regions, host communities in Cox’s Bazar district and indigenous communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Families with elderly members, persons with disabilities, households headed by women, households with pregnant or lactating women, households that have not received any support from any other sources, and households that are out of government social safety net support are prioritised. As BRAC has extensive networks from integrated development programmes throughout Bangladesh, BRAC can identify targeted people within a short time.

BRAC’s programmes and branch offices work in close liaison with the Government of Bangladesh. Field staff and senior branch officers consult relevant divisional, district and sub-district administration and local government bodies to minimise the possibility of duplication of relief. BRAC also works with the Government in overall national response planning, and BRAC’s initiatives are developed to support national efforts.

BRAC’s focus are people who are most often not reached by other efforts - people who are already living in extreme and ultra-poverty, vulnerable communities in hard-to-reach areas such as haor (wetlands) and char (low-lying riverine island) regions, indigeneous communities and host communities in Cox’s Bazar district. In every area in which BRAC works, staff closely coordinate with local government administration and other NGOs, civil society and institutions so that relief efforts are not duplicated.

In urban areas, where more individuals and organisations are distributing relief, BRAC has initiated an urban slum map that will enable individuals and organisations distributing relief to plan their efforts effectively to reach people who are most in need, reduce duplication and maximise the reach of our collective efforts to support Bangladesh. See the map here: http://urbanslummap.brac.net/slum_map.html

A BRAC team, along with local representatives, selects profiles and localities of recipients. Cash is given or transferred via mobile money to a household member, and the team records the mobile numbers and national ID numbers, and takes other proof of receipt as necessary e.g. thumb print if cash is given. BRAC’s financial and internal audit team ensures effective financial control and transparency of the entire operation of this emergency food assistance fund, garnering the trust and confidence from all those contributing in this fund and other stakeholders as well. BRAC’s field staff also work with local government authorities and relevant partners to monitor and establish data and information transparency.

We cannot guarantee individual photographs of each family member due to the scale of the operations, and also because people receiving relief often do not want their photos taken. Please see BRAC’s social media channels and BRAC’s COVID-19 response in Bangladesh situation reports for representative stories captured by our field colleagues.

In the first two phases, BRAC, with a combined fund of its own and donor support, have supported around 200,000 families - but the need is far greater. Millions of people in Bangladesh depend on daily earnings or wages to survive, and economic lockdown means starvation. To expand the response to support more people, BRAC is appealing to communities, voluntary groups, organisations and individuals for donations. 

BRAC is also conducting mass scale hygiene awareness campaigns and has distributed health products, personal protective equipment (PPE), along with food assistance. To learn more on how BRAC is responding to COVID-19, please read BRAC’s COVID-19 response in Bangladesh situation reports.

The emergency food assistance fund was initiated by BRAC to address the dire economic crisis arising from Government directives to maintain social distancing to contain the spread of COVID-19. A recent nationwide survey by BRAC among 2,675 low-income people in 64 districts reveals that 14 percent low-income families do not have food at home. Due to the Government general holiday and shutdowns, 72 percent of the respondents reported job loss or reduced work opportunities, and eight percent of the respondents, who are still employed, have not received payment of wages. You can read the full report here. Hence the need for cash distribution for emergency sustenance.

BRAC cannot support or accept donations of perishable items, household items or clothing. There is not only risk of damage, but also significant cost involved in transporting the items. Additionally, due to the heightened risks of contamination, certain locations and regions are under complete shutdown, thus restricting movement of BRAC field staff.

Every BDT1,500 (US$18) donated is estimated to support a four-member household to purchase essential items for two weeks. 

Donations will not entitle rebates on personal income tax in Bangladesh. For more information on Bangladesh income tax laws and regulations, please see the National Board of Revenue of Bangladesh. If you are donating from outside Bangladesh, please review the laws applicable to payment of the donation. 

The identity of donors cannot be communicated to the recipients due to the scale of operation and the nature of emergency humanitarian crisis work.

Due to the large scale of operation and the nature of emergency humanitarian crisis work, we are unable to provide distribution status reports individually. However, an aggregate report of donations collected and number of families reached will be communicated on BRAC’s website. 

Our field staff are trained on safety and social distancing measures and use one-on-one distribution to avoid encouraging gatherings of people. We are also leveraging mobile financial services to directly transfer cash to participants.

Due to the large scale of operation and the nature of work in an emergency humanitarian crisis, we are unable to connect donors with recipients directly. We will publish case studies periodically on BRAC’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BRACWorld/

You can donate from BDT 1 to any amount.

Yes. There is no limit on the amount of transactions you can make.