$4.6m Korean aid to boost communities in disaster-prone areas

South Korea will contribute US $4.6 million to support World Food Programme (WFP) operations in Bangladesh to help households and communities become more resilient in the face of natural disasters.

The funds will be disbursed through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), a governmental organisation for delivering assistance to developing countries.

The Building Resilience to Achieve Zero Hunger (BRAZH) initiative aims to reach over 4,000 families living in flood-prone areas in Kurigram Sadar and Chilmari sub-districts of Kurigram district in the northwest of the country, from 2018-2021.

WFP will be able to pilot a series of innovative approaches to resilience-building, including micro-insurance products to protect smallholder farmers and day labourers, forecast-based financing models to disburse aid before a predicted weather disaster, and seasonal livelihood planning to develop climate-resilient options, said a press release of WFP.

These activities will be conducted in close partnership with the Bangladeshi Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Department of Disaster Management, and local government, national and international technical institutes.

The forecast-based financing pilot project was tested last month in a dry-run supported by multiple donors, and reached 3,800 households with mobile money transfers in a test of the system's ability to disburse cash rapidly in the event of a disaster.

This partnership with Koica follows the successful implementation of the three-year Saemaul Zero Hunger Communities Project (2014-2017) with a contribution of US $3 million. Under this project, communities engaged in disaster risk reduction work received cash grants and allowances to build their economic resilience.

“These activities were designed based on the Saemaul Undong principle of self-help, diligence, and cooperation with participation and contribution based on Korea's community development experience,” said Joe Hyungue, Koica country director for Bangladesh.