The United States government on Wednesday launched a new $7 million food assistance programme in Dhaka to help urban poor cope with COVID-19 challenges.
This funding is the part of the over $43.4 million in US government assistance to date to support Bangladesh’s COVID-19 response efforts and builds on more than $1 billion in health assistance to Bangladesh over the past 20 years, the embassy said.
Ambassador Earl Miller, state minister for social welfare Md. Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru, and WFP country representative Richard Ragan launched the new $7 million life-saving food assistance project on Wednesday.
This program will complement ongoing efforts by the government of Bangladesh to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Under the new programme, 50,000 people living in low-income areas of Kalyanpur and Sattala Bosti will come under the food packages which will be served to families who are quarantined due to a family member being ill with COVID-19.
Additionally, area residents will receive cash-based transfers for free or low-cost fresh vegetables from Bangladeshi farmers, and other nutritious foods from local vendors.
As the program expands, it will work with local farmers, helping to re-establish linkages among families, markets, and local agricultural production, the embassy said.
This initiative will be implemented by the World Food Programme, in partnership with BRAC.
As additional funding is received from other donors, WFP plans to expand this pilot project to other urban areas in the country.
This new initiative is part of the latest efforts by the U.S. government to provide assistance to countries responding to the effects of COVID-19.
Since the beginning of the outbreak, the U.S. government has committed more than $1.3 billion in emergency health, humanitarian, economic, and development assistance specifically aimed at helping governments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) fight the pandemic.
In Bangladesh, the U.S. government, through USAID alone, has provided nearly $37 million to support COVID-19 response efforts.
“No family should face hunger because they are staying in their home to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” Ambassador Miller said at the launching event.
“This pilot program will help households in these low-income urban areas of Dhaka get the nutritious food they need to stay healthy during these difficult days,” he said.
In addition to USAID support, the US government is providing other vital resources and assistance to respond to the pandemic to Bangladesh, including technical assistance and other support through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) team based in Dhaka, the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other U.S. agencies.
This support is broad, and includes helping custom officials, railway authority and other key personnel critical to ensure the country’s food supply, aiding frontline police and emergency service providers risking their lives to protect everyone living in Bangladesh, and feeding primary school children in areas where undernutrition is common.
