Educo Bangladesh scales up support to more than 13,500 families, as COVID-19 forces many to compromise with their needs

Educo Bangladesh has recently supported more than 13,500 families with its emergency response during COVID-19 crisis. They distributed food to 1,000 marginalized indigenous families in Rajshahi and Chapai Nawabganj districts and 1,270 deprived people living in brothels in Rajbari and Faridpur districts received both food and hygiene support with additional 280 child- food packages. Additionally, they gave humanitarian support to 9,269 families of Moulvibazar’s Haor and Tea gardens. 2,290 families from 10 wards of Dhaka North and South City corporation have received BDT 1,000 via bKash to help with their daily needs.

“Like many countries of the world, children and their families from the most vulnerable backgrounds in Bangladesh are at higher risk of infection of COVID-19. This is high time to think and act collectively for protecting these families and children from the negative impacts of the pandemic”, said Abdul Hamid, Country Director, Educo Bangladesh.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, Educo Bangladesh has been supporting the disadvantaged people. They have previously supported around 8,000 families and children as their first step to COVID-19 response either through cash or food support and hygiene kit supply.

Inadequate food and lack of hygiene have always been a concern for the vulnerable communities in Haors of Bangladesh. During the COVID-19 pandemic, children and their families in these areas are facing unexpected hardships, difficulties in access to markets, and shortage of agricultural supplies, impacting not only their source of income but also proper nutrition. Current pandemic has increased hygiene concerns in tea garden as well. Educo has distributed food packages (rice, lentil, fortified vegetable oil, potato, salt, sugar/brown sugar molasses) and hygiene kits (bathing soap, detergent powder, bucket with lid and tap for hand washing, 02 masks) to 313 families in Haor and hygiene packages to 8,956 families living in Tea gardens in Moulvibazar.

Nazmul Haque, Executive Director, Institute of Development Affairs (IDEA) said, “The harsh reality is that the tea garden workers live in a very dense area where ensuring social distancing is a challenge. We didn’t only distribute hygiene kits to the tea garden communities but also taught them about hygiene practices and child protection aligned with the current situation.”

This short-term emergency project is funded by ChildFund Korea and Educo Bangladesh has implemented the response through its partners, namely Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO), Sachetan, Shapla Mohila Shangstha (SMS), Multipurpose Socio-Economic Development Association (MSEDA), Breaking The Silence (BTS), Institute of Development Affairs (IDEA) and Procheshta. In future as well, Educo Bangladesh will extend its humanitarian support to the most vulnerable ones during any sort of emergency.