Sweden provides additional USD 1.85 mn aid to flood victims

Sweden has made the decision to provide an additional 1.8 million US dollars, or Taka 22.2 crore, to the eastern Bangladeshi towns impacted by flooding.

Swedish relief agencies, Islamic Relief, Danish Refugee Council (DRC), and Action Against Hunger (AAH) will deliver much-needed humanitarian help to communities devastated by the floods in eastern Bangladesh, according to a news release from the Swedish embassy in this country.

The afflicted families will receive financial assistance from the humanitarian help, among other things.

In addition to giving 5,800 children the chance to go back to school, this will help nearly 95,000 individuals with basic needs like food, shelter, and a way to support themselves.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) will fund 3,015 households, provide shelter kits to 1,500 households, and provide funds for the reopening of 29 schools in the eastern districts of Feni, Cumilla, and Noakhali through local non-governmental organizations Uttaran, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), and Resource Integration Center (RIC). Islamic Relief will fund 6,500 households in the districts of Feni and Noakhali with cash grants and hygiene kits.

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) through Uttaran will provide cash grants to 750 households, agriculture inputs to 1,200 households, and cash for repairing 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 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 through Uttaran and Shushilan.  

Furthermore, the World Food Programme (WFP) was able to begin its emergency response within days of the floods thanks to Sweden’s flexible financing, providing vital food relief to over 130,000 people in Cumilla, Feni, Noakhali, Maulvibazar, Lakshmipur, and Cox’s Bazar.
Top contributor to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which was recently given USD 4 million to address the floods in the east, Sweden is one of the world’s biggest humanitarian donors.

With this latest donation, Sweden will have given Bangladesh a humanitarian contribution of USD 12.2 million (Tk. 146 crore) for 2024.