City Desk :
The non-governmental development organization POPI has stepped up to support 13,880 flood-affected families across Bangladesh by distributing 166,560 kg of essential relief materials from September 11 to 13, 2024.
This effort follows the recent devastating floods that submerged homes, roads, shops, and farmland across several districts in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
The sudden floods swept through Brahmanbaria, Comilla, Feni, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, and Khagrachari, leaving thousands of people homeless and jobless. Many lost their food supplies, while severe shortages of clean drinking water and food impacted men, women, children, and the elderly alike.
In response to this crisis, POPI provided aid packages that included rice, lentils, potatoes, oil, salt, and water purification tablets. This second phase of the organization’s relief efforts brought much-needed assistance to flood survivors, ensuring access to essential food and clean water.
POPI had previously launched its initial phase of relief operations during the early days of the floods, distributing immediate relief items like puffed rice, flattened rice, bread, biscuits, purified drinking water, saline, and paracetamol tablets to affected areas such as Laksam, Monoharganj, and Barura in Comilla; Shahrasti in Chandpur; Lakshmipur; Maizdi, Chowmuhani, and Kankirhat in Noakhali; and Mohipal, Daganbhuiyan, and Sonagazi in Feni district.
In addition to the large-scale distribution of goods, POPI’s employees contributed to the relief effort by donating an amount equivalent to one day’s salary. These funds were used to further support POPI’s beneficiaries and marginalized communities.
A beneficiary, who received aid, expressed heartfelt gratitude, stating, “POPI’s support has provided us a sense of relief during this disaster. In times like these, having an organization stand by us brings a unique kind of strength and courage.”
The relief efforts were overseen by POPI’s Executive Director, Mr. Murshed Alam Sarker, and were led in the field by Mr. Moshihur Rahman, one of the key directors of POPI’s Microfinance Department.