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COVID-19 testing booths will remain open till 31 december

BRAC has been running 97 booths across Bangladesh for the last six months with its own funding to assist the DGHS (Directorate General of Health Services) in COVID-19 testing.

BRAC has been reaching out to donors and partners to mobilise resources. BRAC has very recently secured a donation from The Global Fund, which will enable us to keep these booths open till 31 December, 2020.

BRAC is committed to continue to support the Government and the people of Bangladesh in any national crisis. It will continue to play a key role in the pandemic response and recovery, to the best of its ability and with support from the donors and partners.

BRAC announces BDT 100 million to 50 thousand flood-hit families

BRAC will assist 50 thousand severely flood affected families with BDT 100 million (10 crore) with each family receiving BDT 2,000 as cash assistance.

The assistance will be given to families in 15 worst-flood hit upazilas in seven districts namely, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Bogra, Serajgonj, Jamalpur and Sunamganj. The money will be sent through bKash mobile money operator.

Asif Saleh, executive director, BRAC, said, "BRAC has always stood by the people hit by natural calamities. Our staff gave relentless services in the areas hit by Aila, Mahasen, Amphan and other cyclones in the past. We are committed to stand by people seriously affected by this year's flood and give cash assistance which will help them meet their urgent necessities."

Having given a general call for assistance for the flood-hit people, the executive director further said, "We are also calling on individuals and institutions to extend their generosity towards these families in distress. BRAC has taken up an initiative to collect funds so that more families can be reached with assistance."

4.7 million people in 31 districts have been affected by flood this year with Jamalpur having most of its region inundated. So far, 41 people have died, mostly by drowning. Nearly one million households are waterlogged. Around 90 thousand people with around 76 thousand cattle are staying at emergency flood shelters.

BRAC continues its response with different initiatives since the beginning of the flood this monsoon. Early warning messages were sent through four community radio stations, social media platforms and its field staff in the remote and worst hit regions, by incorporating COVID-19 measures. Dry food and oral saline packets were distributed to the waterlogged families in Islampur and Dewanganj upazilas of Jamalpur. BRAC also installed sanitary latrines adjacent to the flood shelters at Porsha upazila in Naogaon district. Also assistance was reached to the worst suffering families in Kurigram from a fund contributed by Greta Thunberg Foundation.

Greta Thunberg to donate €100,000 prize money to flood relief efforts in India and Bangladesh

The money will go to organisations providing direct relief to people suffering from the humanitarian crisis caused by ongoing extreme monsoon flooding in both countries, currently affecting over 9.6 million people in the region.

The donation comes after Greta was awarded €1 million for winning the Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, announced last Monday 20 July. The Greta Thunberg Foundation will donate the full sum to charitable projects combatting the climate and ecological crisis and supporting people facing its worst impacts, particularly in the Global South.

In India, more than 6.8 million people have been affected by recent severe monsoon floods. The north eastern states of Assam and Bihar are particularly badly affected, with 113 deaths recorded since this year's monsoon season began. Meanwhile, close to one third of Bangladesh is already suffering flooding, with 2.8 million people affected. Although floods occur annually in these areas, the climate crisis is increasing their frequency and intensity, with current flooding among the worst in years.

This flooding has also come during a period of overlapping crises facing communities in India and Bangladesh. In March, Cyclone Amphan destroyed crops, infrastructure and more than 260,000 homes in both countries, while a Covid-19 lockdown has contributed to over a third of Bangladesh's population dropping under the poverty line.

The donations will go to 3 NGOs in desperate need of funds for flood relief work in India and Bangladesh. BRAC, who will receive €25,000, are working on the ground in Bangladesh to provide critical relief for impacted families, including dry food, temporary shelter and health services. ActionAid India and Bangladesh, receiving €50,000, are working in both countries to provide emergency relief, as well as long term rebuilding. Goonj, receiving €25,000, are providing clothes, food, medicines, and other essential items to affected areas in India.

Greta Thunberg said: 
"The climate crisis is urgent, and people, particularly in the Global South, are suffering devastating impacts already today. Millions of people in South Asia have been severely affected by recent flooding, at a time when many had already lost so much from Covid-19 and Cyclone Amphan. International media are largely ignoring this devastation, but we must do everything possible to directly support those suffering on the ground, who are in desperate need of resources. I am incredibly privileged to be in a position to be able to donate such sums of money through my foundation, and we are supporting these organisations to make sure it reaches communities affected by the flooding as soon as possible. If you are able, please consider donating to the relief effort."

Asif Saleh, Executive Director, BRAC Bangladesh, said:
"Funds are exhausted, and support is urgently needed to help those suffering on the ground. The unusually prolonged flooding, combined with the fact that many communities are still recovering from Cyclone Amphan and the country is in the grip of a global pandemic have combined in a perfect storm of factors which has seen millions of people lose homes, livelihoods and thousands of acres of croplands vital for food security. Whole families are living on the sides of roads, without drinking water, food or access to sanitation. BRAC is on the ground in all 64 districts in Bangladesh and is working closely with the government to reach the people in the most need."

Sandeep Chachra, Executive Director, ActionAid India, said:
“Monsoon flooding in the Indian states of Assam and Bihar is increasingly catastrophic, year on year. It is making living conditions for vulnerable communities in these regions ever more precarious. This year the floods are a part of a double whammy, on top of the Covid-19 pandemic and accompanying lockdown. Emergency responses need to be linked with long term development work aimed at advancing social and ecological justice, in an effort that prioritises the leadership of communities most affected. In ActionAid Association India, we seek to build resilience and reduce risk, while ensuring a community-led, long-term response, especially with female leadership."

Farah Kabir, Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh, said:
“The unprecedented floods in 2020 have left hundreds of thousands homeless. The monsoons are not yet over and we are already facing a third wave of flooding. Climate change induced loss and damage is increasingly taking its toll, with women and children suffering the worst in terms of displacement, loss of food security, and loss of livelihood, leading to social unrest and resulting in increasing gender based violence and child marriage. Bangladesh is one of the most resilient countries in the world, and we are used to living with floods, but not with floods three or four times in less than a year. There is a limit to how much we can cope with and adapt to. These families must be compensated to rebuild their homes and restore their livelihood in a climate proof way. We demand climate justice and we need support.”

Anshu Gupta, Founder/Director, Goonj, said:
“Right now, floods in parts of India have heaped more misery onto the lives of millions of people already struggling with the impact of Covid-19. Our work focuses on bringing relief to people in the most remote and left out geographies, addressing their local issues and enhancing their dignity by motivating and empowering them to take action. In our two decades of disaster response work, we have been highlighting monsoon floods as an ignored disaster that are becoming more intense and frequent. In this difficult time we must all work closely with the communities most affected.”



Response and recovery efforts supported by $300,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

In the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan, the super cyclonic storm that devastated coastal communities in Bangladesh in late May, BRAC has been carrying out response and recovery efforts, made more complex by the COVID-19 pandemic. With more than 200,000 homes reportedly destroyed or damaged, families sought refuge in neighboring homes and shelters, increasing the chance of contracting COVID-19 in the absence of social distancing.

BRAC has quickly started to provide multi-purpose conditional (repairing of houses and latrines, and installation of tippy taps) cash support to 4,600 cyclone-affected households to enable families to return to their own homes in 10 sub-districts in the districts of Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat. The cash assistance of BDT 5,000 (USD ~$60) per household is being provided by mobile money transfers in two installments. Training is also being provided to residents to install hand washing stations through demonstration efforts, maintaining social distance, so they can wash their hands safely and reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.

Without access to clean water, it is difficult to maintain basic hygiene practices to prevent contraction of COVID-19 and diarrhoea. Awareness messages on basic hygiene practices and COVID-19 infection prevention and control are being disseminated by BRAC staff, who are trained on COVID-19 prevention practices.

BRAC’s emergency response is supported by a $300,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grant funded relief and recovery efforts to people suffering the impact of Amphan in Bangladesh.
 
BRAC’s disaster response efforts in Bangladesh have benefited from funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation several times in the last 13 years, starting with Cyclone Sidr in 2007. Most recently, the foundation provided a grant of $300,000 last year for flood relief.

“BRAC has always looked to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a key partner in our effort to provide life-saving services to the most vulnerable people, especially during humanitarian crises,” said Asif Saleh, Executive Director of BRAC. “This support was no exception. It allowed us to mobilise resources quickly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide much-needed cash support to the families most affected by Cyclone Amphan so they can get back on their feet.”

 

Wednesday, 10 June 2020 00:00

95pc people suffer losses in income

95pc people suffer losses in income

BRAC has recently conducted a survey to get an insight into the overall sense of public awareness about the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact in Bangladesh. A total of 2,317 respondents (68% from rural areas and 32% from urban) from different socio-economic backgrounds in 64 districts joined the survey conducted from 9 to 13 May 2020. Of them, 37.5% were men and 63.5% women. The survey analysis shows daily wage earners have slowly started to regain their livelihood. However, many of these people and their families will still need support for at least three more months to recover from the setback posed by the pandemic.

The findings of the perception survey titled ‘COVID-19 awareness and economic impact’ were revealed at a digitally organised press conference today, on Tuesday (9 June 2020). Abul Kalam Azad, Former Principal Coordinator (SDG Affairs), Prime Minister’s Office, Sudipto Mukherjee, Resident Representative of UNDP in Bangladesh, Mizanur Rahman Khan, Joint Editor, Prothom Alo, Shameran Abed, Senior Director, BRAC, and Nobonita Chowdhury, Director, BRAC, joined the event as panellists. KAM Morshed, Senior Director, BRAC, moderated the press conference.

Speaking at the briefing, former Principal Coordinator of SDG Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office Abul Kalam Azad lauded the BRAC initiative and said all microfinance institutions (MFIs) and NGOs need to follow BRAC footsteps in returning savings to low income people.

“The government is trying to finance the labour intensive sectors so that it can help create more jobs. Skills development training for migrant workers can also help them get back their jobs in the current crisis,” said Azad.

BRAC Senior Director Shameran Abed accredited the role of MFIs in reaching cash assistance to vulnerable people and enterprises.

“Getting money to people through banks is challenging since banks lack capacity. A new mechanism is needed and the mobile banking system is already delivering. Once identified, people are getting easy access to finance through the system,” Shameran Abed said.

BRAC, with the help of donors and partners, has delivered emergency cash support to 360,000 families. Under the Microfinance programme, savings were returned to 500,000 members, to support in their economic recovery process.

Sudipto Mukherjee, Resident UNDP Representative, stressed on concerted efforts to avert the crisis posed by the pandemic.

“We cannot afford to leave anyone behind. That is more important than being concerned about duplication. Universal protection is required for a welfare state like Bangladesh,” Mukherjee said.

At the same time, the next plan of actions should focus on getting the economy back on its feet, maintaining proper health precautions.

Suggestions to tackle the crisis included strict introduction of a ‘pro-poor’ lens to review and implement the recovery and rehabilitation plans as well as the already declared stimulus packages or incentives.

Transparency was stressed for delivery mechanisms of assistance and stimulus packages for different private sectors. Authorities were urged to engage NGOs and community-based organisations to monitor the listing of beneficiaries and cash transfer through mobile banking was stressed for distribution.

Preparing a database of beneficiaries to avoid duplication and introducing a prompt complaint redressal mechanism were also recommended.

Survey Brief
The lockdown and social distancing measures announced to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic forced 95% people across the country to suffer a loss in their income. Approximately 51% of the respondents said their household income was reduced to zero after the public holiday was declared in late March. Around 62% of low income wage earners lost reduced work opportunities. The pandemic left around 28% of the respondents economically inactive. Average monthly household income of the respondents was BDT 24,565 before the public holidays, but that declined to BDT 7,096 in May, registering a 76% decline in household income. Loss in income was somewhat greater in urban areas (79%) than in the rural ones (75%).

Respondents from Pirojpur (96%), Cox’s Bazar (95%), Rangamati (95%), Gaibandha (94%) and Brahmanbaria (93%) were found to have suffered greater losses in income.

In the survey, women-headed households were found to be more economically vulnerable compared to households headed by men. Average income of women-headed households declined more (80%) than men-headed households (75%). Women-headed households (57%) reportedly had their monthly income reduced to zero during the public holiday, which was 49% for households headed by men.

The loss in income inevitably impacted food security, particularly of the low income people. On an average, 16% of overall households reported that they had food only to survive for 1-3 days, while 3% of the households did not have any food during the survey time.

The survey found 11% of respondents think that there was an increase in violence against women during the holidays. Majority (58%) of them think that violence increased as poverty was intensified by the pandemic.

More than three-fourths (76%) of respondents now practice coronavirus preventive behaviours, while the remaining one-fourth practices the behaviours irregularly, which is alarming. More than three-fourth (78%) respondents feel that there is no chance or very little chance for them of getting infected with the coronavirus. Respondents from rural areas (81%) compared to urban areas (71%) express more confidence about not getting infected. Such beliefs might spread reluctance among people in maintaining the precautions against the spread of coronavirus.

About 38% of the respondents believe more coordinated efforts are needed to reach assistance to the people in need. The survey also found that the need of assistance is higher in rural areas (72%) compared to urban areas (62%).

 

Download: Economic Impact of COVID-19 and Way forward for Bangladesh

Download: Rapid Perception Survey on COVID-19 Awareness and Economic Impact

BDT 565bn loss in farmers' income in 45 days

The agriculture sector took a major hit as farmers across the country suffered a steep loss worth approximately BDT 565.36 billion (56,536.68 crore) during the public holiday announced to contain COVID-19 pandemic. This loss was incurred in one and a half months between March and May.

This was revealed in a research conducted by BRAC during these 45 days. The research covered all the subsectors namely, crop and vegetables farming, poultry and livestock and fishery. Two studies were carried out as part of the research, one of which surveyed the situation of the farmers at the producers' end, while the other focused on the market situation and how its disruption impacted the farmers during this period. A representative survey was also conducted under the research interviewing 1,581 farmers across the country.

The findings along with a number of recommendations of the research titled “Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on agriculture and implications for food security” were revealed at a digitally organised press conference today, on Thursday (4 June 2020).

Dr MA Sattar Mandal, former vice chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University and former member of Planning Commission, Eleash Mridha, managing director of PRAN Group, Dr FH Ansarey, managing director and CEO of ACI Agribusiness, and Mohammad Anisur Rahman, director of BRAC Dairy and Food Enterprise, joined the event as panellists. KAM Morshed, senior director, BRAC, moderated the press conference, also attended by journalists, agricultural specialists and researchers, among others. Two farmers also joined the event to share their experience.

The findings show the prices and sales of essential agricultural products, especially coarse rice and red lentils, went up during the early days of the pandemic due to panic buying of consumers and high demand of relief-providing entities. The trend resulted in the rise of rice and lentil prices by 30-32% while the traders had a 300% rise in their sales of these products. However, the surge in market demand could not benefit the farmers as they sold their stock before the pandemic began.

The producers of non-relief and perishable items also had a hard time to continue the production and sell of their products. Overall, 88% of all farmers (100% of fish farmers) reported economic losses owing to production and marketing problems.

Farmers mentioned lack of fair prices (66%), limited operation of markets (52%), higher prices of inputs (45%) and unavailability of labour (28%) as the prime causes behind their sufferings.

Due to damages to their produce and low prices, each farmer suffered a loss of an average of BDT 207,976 during the 45 days period. Based on the number of farmers in the country in each of the sub-sectors, the value of loss was estimated at BDT 565.36 billion.

Ex-member of the Planning Commission Dr MA Sattar Mandal thanked BRAC for conducting the research and said retailers, distributers, agents and middlemen should be prioritised and that their expertise should be utilised to tackle the current situation as they play important roles in the market.

PRAN Group MD Eleash Mridha said measures should be taken to facilitate farmers in those areas where the spread of coronavirus is lower.

ACI Agribusiness MD Dr FH Ansarey stressed on tech-based agricultural innovation.

“Agro processing technologies need to be given preference. The government should allocate BDT 10bn (1000 crore) for improving connectivity of farmers with the private sector, dealers and extension service,” he said.

BRAC Dairy and Food Enterprise Director Mohammad Anisur Rahman said constant decline in demand since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic spoiled farmers’ produce at a huge margin. Dairy farmers suffered a lot as they had to dump milk, he said “If the situation lingers, the result will be ominous. If farmers change their profession, food safety of the country will be endangered,” Rahman added.

Of the farmers interviewed, 42% reported that they had no way to cope up with the crisis, while 60% of crop and vegetable farmers said they had to absorb the losses fully. Approximately 11% of all farmers and 17% of poultry farmers had to reduce their production, while another 2% stopped production. Poultry farmers encountered huge losses as prices dropped by 44% owing to the closure of all restaurants during the holiday.

As the demand of poultry products reduced, the farmers reduced their production too, which resulted in the shortage of supply and thus the prices increased. Prices rose by 26% for farm chicken and 8% for eggs during second week of May.

As the demand declined by almost 33-60% with the prices going down by 12.5% at the retail level and 22% at the farmers’ end, livestock farmers had to reduce their production.

Of the interviewees, 41% respondents (69% of fish farmers) are planning to depend on credit to survive, 14% will have to depend on their alternative income sources, 18% will either draw money from savings or sell their assets. Another 18% of the respondents still have no plans and 5% are planning to change their profession if they have to discontinue their production.

Of the respondents, 66% want to get loans from the government on easy terms. As many as 56% farmers want fair prices for their produce, while 48% want necessary inputs at affordable prices.

Of the farmers interviewed, 64% are aware of incentives the government announced for them, but 79% of them had no idea or had a misconception about how to avail the facility. Most significantly, only 20% of the respondents reported to having prior experience of taking formal loans from banks.

The studies also gave a number of recommendations based on their findings, which include developing a farmer-friendly credit disbursement system, introducing innovative disbursement mechanisms through mobile financial services and NGOs, and reducing red-tape barriers.

Ensuring wide-scale injection of cash to boost people’s purchasing power, Ensure the government’s intervention in procurement and supply chain systems to rectify price falls such as establishment of collection centres for agro-produces closer to smallholder producers, and facilitating and providing incentives so the backward and forward linkages to adequately improve the support system to the industry were also recommended in the research.

Developing sub-sector-specific short, medium and long-term plans, focusing on innovative tech-based agribusiness models and making quality seeds and other inputs available to farmers were also stressed.

Download report.

Special schemes recommended for poor in 2020-21 budget

Bangladesh’s economy and development are at a critical juncture in the wake of COVID-19. Financially poorest people are most affected in terms of both economy and health. At present 100.22 million people face high risk of economic and health vulnerabilities. The average family income loss between March and May hovers at around 74 per cent. Over 1.4 million migrant workers have returned or are on their way back home due to job loss.

The above scenario is brought upon by a joint exercise of BRAC, DataSense and Unnayan Shamannay, attempting to develop a vulnerability index. The findings and recommendations of the study titled "COVID-19 and national budget 2020-2021: Rethinking strategy for bottom of the pyramid" were revealed at a digitally organised press conference today on Monday (1 June 2020).

Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, noted economist, chairman of Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) and chairperson of BRAC, presided over the event with Dr Atiur Rahman, former governor of Bangladesh Bank, present as the chief guest. KAM Morshed, senior director, BRAC, moderated the press conference. Dr Ananya Raihan, chief executive officer, iSocial, presented the survey report. Dr Nazneen Ahmed, senior research fellow, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), and Dr Imran Matin, executive director, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), were present as panel speakers.

The findings and recommendations of the study are drawn from holistic reviews of a number of studies recently conducted by BRAC, BIGD, PPRC, International Monetary Fund and other national and international bodies, along with the data obtained from a primary survey, which was conducted on 962 respondents randomly selected from 25 districts of the country, during the period of May 15-18, 2020.

The study findings show that among the people at high risk of economic and health vulnerabilities, 53.64 million are extreme poor, including those pushed down to extreme poverty by the pandemic. (By definition of extreme poor: $1.9 PPP income per day. While 47.33 million extreme poor face high economic risk, 36.33 million are at high health risk.

The primary survey reveals that the pandemic has variously affected the low-income people. It shows that 34.8% of households interviewed have at least one member who lost their job. The average family income loss between March and May hovers at around 74%. People in the informal sector, including day-labourers, have suffered most. The manufacturing sector also experienced a major blow. For example, the readymade garment sector experienced 84% reduction in exports in April 2020 compared with April 2019. Between mid-March and April 7, 2020, 1,116 factories have been reported closed and 2.19 million workers lost their job.

The study further reveals that -
Bottom of the pyramid population is at higher risk of contracting the disease. In case of death of the earning member of the family, there is a high chance of starvation and malnutrition, especially among women and children.

Earlier studies and reports suggest that due to lack of country-wide coordination and collaboration, food and cash support from the government could not be adequately reached to the poor and extreme poor.

The COVID-19 is causing new kinds of economic, social and digital divides. As only 34% of households have access to smartphones and 54% have access to TV, children of the lowest economic rung mostly remain excluded from any form of education provided through digital channels.

More than one million migrants have returned or are returning home due to job loss. The migrants staying in the destination countries have become subject to a debt trap, social stigma and an uncertain future.

The COVID-19 has imposed further difficulties on the lives of people with special needs and their families.

Dr Atiur Rahman said, "Medium, small and micro enterprises need help as 60% of them will be out of business. We can allocate BDT 20 thousand crore for this sector. The entire BDT 20 thousand crore needs to be refinanced by the Bangladesh Bank. Banks are not interested to give loans to MSMEs which they don’t know. Refinance line has to be increased so that risk sharing by bank is promoted."

"There is no risk of inflation yet. Economy is not that vibrant. Fuel prices are low because world market prices are low," he observed.

"Microfinance institutions can be given more refinancing facilities. Also banks should be given credit guarantee schemes so that they are encouraged to provide credit to MSMEs for which budget allocation is required," he further said.

Dr Nazneen Ahmed said, "Fuel subsidy to transport operators can be provided so they will not require to increase fares."

Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman in his chair's speech said, "Instead of making new lists it is best if existing lists can be used. Instead of BDT 100, BDT 500 per head may be allocated as stipend for 7.8 million primary students. That way we can ensure support reaches to the right people."

"The budget needs to be reflective, open to criticism, skilful in strategy," he stressed.

Based on the study findings, a number of recommendations were made to include in the national budget of fy2020-21 that include the following.

Introduce cash transfers for COVID-19 positive patients for income losses and 3-year cash support if any income earner of the extreme poor and poor households dies due to COVID-19.

Introduce universal unemployment benefit scheme, starting with extreme poor and poor by FY 2020-2021 and for other unemployed groups from FY 2021-2022.

Introduce a universal identification system of citizens (irrespective of age) for enabling citizens to access services and receive benefits within FY 2020-2021.

Include all citizens into universal digital services for getting benefits of social protection schemes, credit, savings and insurance services through public-private partnership.

Launch a special programme for returnee migrants at home and migrant workers in destination countries as well to compensate income loss, create jobs and help them get out of debt trap and social stigma.

Introduce access to individual digital devices and internet connectivity to all Bangladeshi citizens above 16 years old to ensure access to livelihood, education, health and safety.

Allocate maximum resources for fighting COVID-19 and enforce public-private-NGO collaboration and coordination.

Also to minimise health risks, a mix of work-from-home and work-from-office has been proposed. Besides, six-hourly workdays with up to three shifts for offices and factories have been recommended to reduce traffic on the road, maintain social distancing at the workplace and public transport.

Download.

BRAC floats BDT 3 crore for 6,000 Amphan affected households

BRAC has allocated a budget of BDT 30 million (3 crore) for low-income families in 10 upazilas of three coastal districts to help repair of households and water sanitation and hygine (WASH) facilities damaged by Cyclone Amphan.

Amphan killed at least 22 people as it thumped the country’s coast on Wednesday with gusting winds and heavy rainfall.

Under the initiative, approximately 6,000 households at Shyamnagar, Asashuni, Kaliganj, and Kalaroa upazilas in Satkhira; Koira, Paikgachha, Dacope, Botiaghata and Dumuria upazilas under Khulna and Sarankhola upazila under Bagerhat will receive BDT 5,000 each. A team from BRAC Humanitarian Programme will select the households and start distributing the money within one to two days after the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr so that affected people can start repairing their houses and WASH facilities.

Sajedul Hasan, Director of Humanitarian Programme, BRAC and BRAC International said,

“More than 20 districts were affected after cyclone Amphan hit Bangladesh. People lost their home, and sanitization. Now they are living with their relatives, some of them sharing bed with their neighbor. Don’t forget that we are also facing pandemic situation. Social distancing is much needed at this stage. So BRAC has taken the initiative to rebuild houses, toilets for the people who are affected as early as possible. We are also arranging safe drinking water for people who are affected.’’

BRAC sent 12,000 masks, 12,000 gloves and 240 sanitisers to Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts three days before Amphan hit the coastline so that people living in these areas could ensure hygiene practice during the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.

BRAC has also launched a fundraising appeal to scale up the effort and increase the coverage. Individuals and any organisation can donate. Details are available on BRAC website: https://www.brac.net/covid19/donate/. Anyone can donate to the fund through bKash app.

Donations can also be sent to:
Account name: BRAC
Account number: 150120-2316474001
Bank name: BRAC BANK
Bank branch: Gulshan 1, Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka.

Thursday, 14 May 2020 00:00

We deeply mourn

We deeply mourn

We are deeply saddened to share the passing of our esteemed colleague, Brig Gen Aftab Uddin Ahmad (Retd), Director of Skills Development Programme, BRAC. Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un.

He was admitted to hospital with complications in the lungs and had tested positive for COVID-19. He breathed his last at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka this afternoon. He was 72.

Mr Ahmad joined BRAC in October 2019. Prior to joining BRAC, he was the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre of Excellence for Bangladesh Apparel Industry (CEBAI) and was instrumental in the growth of the prominent skills development organisation UCEP Bangladesh. He was a Senior Consultant at the World Bank since 2014 under the STEP project. He also possesses over 27 years of prolific career in the Bangladesh Military Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

His contribution in the technical and vocational education and training sector will be remembered forever. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) as a concept was initiated and implemented under his leadership. He was a key member of the national consultative committee for drafting the national skills development policy in 2011. In addition, he contributed to the formulation of the national education policy, non-formal education policy, technical and vocational education and training reforms, Education Watch 2013, and corporate social responsibility policy. He provided strategic leadership in implementing projects for numerous organisations including UNICEF, ILO, IKEA, Save the Children International, Asian Development Bank, Plan International, European Commission, Government of Bangladesh and Citibank, NA.

We are indebted for his guidance and leadership since he joined BRAC. He will be remembered for his unparalleled dedication to his work, and his long-standing commitment to public service in Bangladesh.

Brig Gen Aftab Uddin Ahmad (Retd) leaves behind a son and daughter, and a host of well-wishers. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and pray for his departed soul.

BRAC assisting DGHS to install 50 COVID-19 sample collection kiosks in Dhaka

BRAC is assisting the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to install walk-in sample collection booths (kiosk) in areas vulnerable to Novel Coronavirus outbreak across the country. As part of the initiative, at least 50 kiosks will be installed in Dhaka by next week to help speed up the process of sample collection. Fifty more kiosks will be set up across the country soon.

In line with the DGHS directives, BRAC is currently recruiting medical technologists, installing kiosks, collecting samples and transferring those samples to designated testing labs. The DGHS is also assisting BRAC in training technologists and providing sample collection kits to the organisation. A memorandum of understanding will soon be signed in this regard between BRAC and the DGHS.

While kiosks set up at hospitals will be operated by respective hospital staff, two trained medical technologists from BRAC will be collecting samples at the kiosks set up elsewhere. They will collect samples from suspected COVID-19 patients from 9am to 12pm Saturday through Thursday. Every day, technicians will be able to collect samples from 40 people having common symptoms of COVID-19 including fever, dry cough, fatigue, sore throat and respiratory difficulties. Once collected, the samples will be sent to testing facilities designated by the DGHS. Before that, suspected patients will have to fill-up forms prescribed by the DGHS providing personal information including phone numbers. Test results will be sent to respective individuals via text messages to the phone number they are stipulated to provide during sample collection at the kiosks.

Two methods of screening patients are being followed for sample collection. Initially, paramedics will screen suspected patients according to national definitions of cases and contacts. In addition, kiosks located in medical colleges or hospitals or adjacent to these facilities will collect samples from patients referred to them.

Elderly people, people with existing comorbidities, doctors, healthcare workers, staff at health facilities and those working in closed settings such as workplaces or classrooms will be prioritised for sample collection given the constraint in resources.

Associate Director of BRAC Health, Nutrition and Population Programme Morseda Chowdhury said, “We will set up 100 walk-in kiosks across 19 risky regions to expedite the government’s initiative of scaling up testing capacity along with the government's ongoing activities. Half of these kiosks will be set up in Dhaka.”

“Initially, we installed kiosks in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital on a pilot basis. Later, more kiosks were set up at Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Memorial KPJ Specialised Hospital and Nursing College and in Narayanganj in line with the DGHS directive. We have also identified several spots to install kiosks in consultation with two Dhaka city mayors,” Chowdhury added.

As of 11 May 2020, Chowdhury said that 17 kiosks have been installed at 14 spots in Dhaka as per the DGHS directive and that work on installing more booths is in progress.

The institutions where the kiosks are already in operation include Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital, Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Memorial KPJ Specialised Hospital and Nursing College, Sheikh Hasina Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute, Government Unani and Ayurvedic Medical College and Hospital and Uttara Adhunik Medical College. Besides this, kiosks have started functioning at community centres located in Dhaka city corporation areas (Naya Paltan, Bashabo, Kamrangirchar, Naya Bazar, Jatrabari and Lalbagh). Two of those are adjacent to slums to serve the low-income population. Few more will cover areas of city corporations such as Uttara, Moghbazar, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Uttarkhan, Dakkhinkhan and Baunia. Moreover, some more will be opened in different public and private hospital premises to cover more areas.

“BRAC is yet to receive any new funds in this regard. However, the organisation is diverting some of its funds from the Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK government to continue its proceedings,” Chowdhury said.

On Monday, 11 May 2020, Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud inaugurated a kiosk on the Dhaka Reporters Unity premises dedicated to collect samples from journalists for COVID-19 tests. Another kiosk will be inaugurated at the National Press Club soon.

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