People in Bangladesh were looking ahead to a bright future for their country, on the heels of a decade of remarkable economic growth. But they now find themselves in the midst of an unprecedented global crisis. Ramifications of the Covid-19 pandemic reach deep and were made only worse by Cyclone Amphan in May 2020 and then the devastating floods since July, putting Bangladesh on the brink of a severe humanitarian crisis. Many have lost their livelihoods during the lockdown, and significant parts of the population are at risk of possible starvation. They need our help, urgently.
We are a diverse international group of volunteers fundraising for Bangladesh, to help them fight hunger as they deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, an event we truly hope remains as rare if not rarer than once in a hundred years.
In addition to raising awareness and collecting donations, we care deeply about making the most of a donor’s money. So we have convened a team of students, academics, a professor specializing in economic development, and individuals with ground experience volunteering in Bangladesh to research and thoroughly vet NGOs and grassroots volunteer groups on behalf of the donors.
The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed from a health crisis to a global economic crisis. Millions of jobs have been lost and many more are likely to follow suit. Supply chains for essential products including food chains have been disrupted worldwide. Poor countries like Bangladesh face the greatest of impacts due to such disruption and their population face severe food insecurity. As a Bangladeshi and a development worker, I know that ensuring food availability for the poor population (which is more than 60 percent of the population) in such a period of crisis, is a massive challenge. We need multiple sources of support. That is why I am supporting Nourish Bangladesh, UK, which is channeling the aid received from the donors to organizations that are directly supporting the poor needing food. It endeavours like this, which can help to make food available to those who need the most. I wholeheartedly support this initiative by the dedicated souls. It is a noble cause fighting the severe impact on food availability, which is far from over, at least for a poor country like Bangladesh. I encourage everyone who is reading this, to extend their support to such a cause or at least share it with friends and families to make this initiative heard.
Northfield, MN, USA
Cape Cod, MA, USA
New England, USA
New England, USA
