1 lakh more low-income families get Brac’s cash assistance
Another one lakh low-income families from across the country have been provided cash assistance by Brac, the world's biggest non-government organisation, to help the families amid the economic fallout from coronavirus pandemic.
Each family will get Tk 1,500 as emergency cash assistance from Brac, according to a press release issued by the organisation yesterday. The total amount handed over is Tk 15 crore, it read.
Brac has already supported one lakh families with cash assistance of the same amount in the beginning of the month.
The first phase of cash transfer came from Brac's own fundraising initiatives, while for the second phase the Australian government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Global Affairs Canada (GAC), and Brac Bank collaborated with the organisation.
This move comes after the NGO did a rapid-perception survey among 2,675 low-income people and found that a rise in numbers experiencing extreme poverty is one of the side-effects of this pandemic.
"The survey findings show 72 percent people have lost their jobs or suffered reduced work opportunities. A loss of income has resulted in the rise of extreme poverty by 60 percentage points. Also 14 percent people have no food reserved at home, while 29 percent have only 1-3 days' food reserve," said Brac Executive Director Asif Saleh.
"Two weeks have elapsed since the survey and we believe the situation has further deteriorated, prompting us to launch the second phase of our cash assistance programme which will help these families buy food from nearby functional markets or shops," he added.
While the cash transfer programme has targeted 50 districts across the nation, it is not enough, stated the organisation.
"Our measures are not sufficient to meet the food crisis low-income households are grappling with across the country. I urge more individuals and organisations with means to join our fundraising initiative so that emergency aid can be reached to many more families living in ultra-poverty and urban slums," the Brac press release added.
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