Expats raising funds for cyclone victims
Expatriate Bangladeshis in different countries are raising funds to help the victims of the devastating hurricane that left hundreds of thousands people in the southern region of the country homeless.
A foreign organisation named Muslim Aid said it had raised nearly £ 300,000 since Hurricane Sidr battered southern Bangladesh on Thursday, reported BBC Online.
Muslim Aid's fundraising manager Abdul Jolil said, "We have just raised nearly £300,000 from the Bangladeshi and Muslim communities. There's been a phenomenal response, people are very keen and willing to help."
Jolil said he would be meeting with members of Muslim Aid's field office in Dhaka and visit the regions worst affected. Later in the week specialists from a partner organisation would be travelling to the region with desalination equipment to provide a supply of fresh water, he added.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Abu Dhabi, UAE in association with Non-Resident Bangladeshi Forum (NRBF), has set up a Chief Adviser's Welfare and Relief Fund to which people can donate, reported Khaleej Times from Dubai yesterday.
An account (number CD-4306) has been opened with Janata Bank for the purpose and people can ask their respective banks to transfer the amount they wish to donate to this account.
Mohammad Shahid Bakhtiar Alam, deputy chief of the Bangladesh Embassy, said, "People have been turning up at the embassy to contribute funds for the cyclone-hit people."
"We understand that people might have problems going all the way to the Janata Bank. They can easily transfer money to the account from their accounts," he added.
"A lot of people have already contributed to the fund, including people of several nationalities. The money will be sent to Bangladesh to help the affected people," said Shahid Bakhtiar.
Meanwhile, the NRBF has come out with an appeal to help the victims.
Johur Al Alam, chairman of the forum, said, "This appeal would be published in different newspapers and also displayed on television channels so that people know about the calamity and help generously. The appeal contains some pictures of the devastation, which would give the people an idea of the situation in Bangladesh. We are sure that people would come forward to help."
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