City Desk :
Sweden is providing USD 1.85 million, or Tk 22.2 crore, of vital humanitarian assistance through Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Islamic Relief, Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and Action Against Hunger (AAH) to communities affected by the floods in eastern Bangladesh.
The humanitarian support will be utilized to provide cash assistance to affected families, helping nearly 95,000 individuals access essential needs such as food, shelter, and livelihood opportunities, according to a press release, reports UNB.
Additionally, 5,800 children will be given the chance to return to school.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) will through Uttaran, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) and Resource Integration Centre (RIC) provide cash grants to 3,015 households, shelter kits to 1,500 households and cash for work to facilitate the reopening of 29 schools in eastern Feni, Cumilla and Noakhali districts.
Islamic Relief will provide cash grants and hygiene kits to 6,500 households in Feni and Noakhali districts.
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) will through Uttaran provide cash grants to 750 households, agriculture inputs to 1,200 households, and cash for work opportunities to repair and clean community infrastructure including drinking water points, irrigation channels, fishponds, agricultural roads, and individual shelters in Noakhali and Cox’s Bazar districts. Action Against Hunger (AAH) will through Uttaran and Shushilan provide cash grants to 1,000 households and cash support to 120 pregnant women, essential health services to 1,000 children and nutrition vouchers for 180 children, menstrual hygiene kits to 640 women, rehabilitate 250 water points and 280 latrines, and mental health and psychosocial support to 2,000 individuals in Feni and Noakhali districts.
Furthermore, Sweden’s flexible funding enabled the World Food Programme (WFP) to initiate its emergency response within days of the floods, providing essential food aid to over 130,000 people in Cumilla, Feni, Noakhali, Maulvibazar, Lakshmipur, and Cox’s Bazar.
As one of the largest humanitarian donors globally, Sweden is also the leading contributor to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which recently allocated USD 4 million to assist with the eastern floods.
With this latest contribution, Sweden’s total humanitarian aid to Bangladesh for 2024 reaches USD 12.2 million (approximately Tk. 146 crore).