Brac allocates Tk 3.5cr more for flood relief

Brac has allocated Tk 3.5 crore to fund its post-flood relief and rehabilitation efforts in addition to its prior (July) allocation of Tk 50 lakh.

The latest allocation comprises a grant of USD 300,000 (roughly equal to BDT 2.5 crore) from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation while the remaining one crore is from Brac’s internal sources, according to a press release.

The fund is being spent to provide multi-purpose cash transfers of Tk 4,500 per household and distrib-uting hygiene kits to help more than 6,000 flood-affected households in four of the worst affected upazilas: Dewanganj in Jamalpur district, Chowhali in Sirajganj, Sadar upazila in Gaibandha and Chilmari in Kurigram.

Brac is spending one part of the allocation to repair school buildings, donate boats to school children, and deploy teams of health workers in some of the remote areas.

“We are providing this emergency grant to bolster recovery efforts, such as helping to prevent the outbreak of water-borne diseases and other severe health risks associated with flooding,” said Mark Suzman, chief strategy officer and president, Global Policy and Advocacy, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Brac has deployed more than a thousand of its relief workers with initial efforts reaching over 14,000 households in 36 of the most impacted upazilas under 13 districts till August 8.

“As this year’s flood is already labelled as one of the worst in recent years, everyone with the means must come forward to join the relief efforts,” said Asif Saleh, executive director of Brac Bangladesh.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has contributed to disaster response in Bangladesh through Brac several times in the last 12 years, starting with Cyclone Sidr operations in 2007.