A welfare project entitled ‘Strengthening Food Security, Nutrition, and Capacity of the Flood-Impacted Communities of Northern Bangladesh’ has been running in char surrounded seven upazilas of Gaibandha and Kurigram district  creating positive impacts to the marginalized and underprivileged people of disaster prone areas of the districts.

Friendship, an international  social purpose organization, founded by renowned social entrepreneur Runa Khan is implementing the project at five Razibpur, Rowmari, Ulipur, Chilmari and Sadarupazilas under Kurigram district and Fulchhari and Sadarupazilas of Gaibandha district under Inclusive Citizenship Sector of the organization with the financial support of Friendship Luxembourg and Luxembourg Aid & Development.

The objective of the project is to provide support to the marginalized, backward and underprivileged people living at hard to reach chars located at disaster prone areas of the districts aimed at mitigating their sufferings during the emergencies and its post period.

This project draws inspiration from Marc Elvinger, Chair of Friendship Luxembourg and co-chair of Friendship International. This inspiration came from the “Food Bank and MoothMooth” initiative, which aims to address marginalised people’s critical food and nutrition needs during the monsoon season and post-flood periods.

Due to geographical location, the upazilas of two districts experience flood every year. During the flood, the people face sufferings caused by flood and their sorrows know no bound as their homesteads and cropland went under floodwater, the flood affected people are more worried about food security. In that time, the staff of the organization prepare a list for the actual affected people in a bid to provide them with relief materials to alleviate their sufferings caused by flood.  Not only that, the field level staff of the organization also help the district and upazila administrations including local government body of the government distribute different assets as relief materials to the affected people during the emergencies, said an official of Friendship.

Very recently, the upazilas of the districts experienced flood creating untold sufferings to the people of the upazilas. The flood caused due to hilly waters from the up streams of India and incessant rain and the people faced sufferings and hardship. Inorder to mitigate their sufferings and hardship, the organization distributed packages of relief materials to 9000 flood victims of the upazila under the project. Each package contains like rice, lentils, soya bean oil, and salt, said regional manager NazmulHosain.

These relief materials help the flood victims pass their days and nights smoothly during the emergency, said Saiduzzaman, chairman of Mollarchar union parishad of Sadarupazila.

AleyaBeoya, a beneficiary of the union said, she as well as her family members was in starving for want of food during the flood, In that critical time, the Friendship stood beside us and gave us edible food which alleviate our starving condition.

Hundred percent transparency had been ensured in case of selecting the beneficiaries from the upazilas surrounded by chars, said assistant program manager RezwanulHaque.

As per the guidelines of the founder of the organization Runa Khan, the staff of the project are working sincerely and transparently in project command areas to make the project effective and successful, said deputy director at Inclusive Citizenship Sector of Friendship Ahmed Toufiqur Rahman.

Ayesha Taashin Khan, senior director at Inclusive Citizenship Sector, said as the organization believes in changing the socio-economic condition of hard to reach char people through proving them various support including food, the project had been introduced for the char people of seven upazilas of the districts.

She also sought whole–hearted cooperation of all concerned to attain the cherished goals of the project and make the project a grand success at project command areas as well because depending the success of the project, they would inspire to introduce same type of project in other working areas of the country in future.

The elite of the districts highly appreciated the project and its overall activities for the backward char people for mitigating their sufferings during the emergencies.

They also thanked the Friendship for faster development of hard to reach char people of the districts through implementing different projects.