05/08/2020
If you are financially able, please consider donating to the following fundraiser to provide food relief to marginalized groups in Bangladesh who are being disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 crisis. Please see details below:
"We're a group of US-based Bangladeshi students and young professionals partnering with Give Bangladesh (a Dhaka based non-profit - website , page ) to provide food-relief to ~6,300 members of six highly marginalized communities across Bangladesh: Santal (সাঁওতাল), nomad (বেদে), and transgender (হিজড়া) communities, and groups of sweepers (সুইপার), weavers (তাঁতি), and cobblers(মুচি).
We have worked extremely hard to ensure a very transparent network, for both distribution of food-relief, as well as handling of finances, and now we need your help! Any amount you can donate will go a long way, but here's some context to quantify the impact of your support:
__ USD can provide food for -
$5 - An individual for 2 weeks
$20 - A household (of 5) for 2 weeks
$50 - A household (of 5) for 1 month
$150 - A cluster (of 11 households) for 1 week
$500 - A cluster (of 11 households) for 1 month
Donation options:
GoFundMe - https://www.gofundme.com/f/bd-food-relief-covid/donate
PayPal - https://www.paypal.me/CovidBDFundraiser
BKash - We have also set up the following BKash number for Bangladeshi donations:+8801317271612
Bank Transfers - Bangladeshi donors can also use the following account for bank transfers :
Account Title : Samira Bari
Account Number : 18-1286829-01
Standard Chartered Bank (Gulshan North Branch)
Background:
As Bangladesh grapples with the Coronavirus pandemic, large swaths of the population, often employed in the informal/semi-formal sector, are left acutely vulnerable to hunger and food insecurity. While the country attempts to contain the spread of the virus, prop up its healthcare system, and provide economic support, limited capacity and efficacy of its social safety apparatus means millions are left on their own to sustain their livelihoods in the short-to-medium term.
Workers have seen their incomes evaporate entirely, or reduced significantly, as a result of lockdowns, layoffs, and furloughs. Members of marginalized communities, often dependent on some social assistance even during regular times, now face tough competition to access limited aid. Despite gradual reopening of the country, the path to recovery remains uncertain and distant, and immediate access to food is an essential bridge for many. Additionally, the month of Ramadan has historically seen upward pressures on staple food prices.
Building on several remarkable initiatives taken by Bangladeshi communities at home and abroad, we are joining the fight to play our part. We're a group of Bangladeshi young professionals and students in the US, and we're inviting you to join us and contribute to provide food relief to approximately 1100 households (~ 6300 individuals) in marginalized communities in Bangladesh over the next month."
