GLIDE No: TC-2007-000208-BGD
Period covered by this Operations Update: 13- 20 December 2007
This Emergency Appeal seeks CHF 24,483,160 (USD 22.2 million or EUR 15 million) in cash, kind, or services to support the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society to assist 243,000 families (1,215,000 beneficiaries) over two years from the date. This appeal was launched on 25 November 2007.
A Preliminary Appeal was launched for CHF 3,989,305 on 16 November 2007 to mobilize immediate relief assistance.
CHF 250,000 was allocated from the Federation's Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support this operation. Unearmarked funds to replenish DREF are encouraged.
This operation is to be implemented over a two-year period and is expected to be completed by November 2009. A Final Report will be made available three months after the end of the operation.
Summary:
The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) and the Federation responded to the devastating Cyclone SIDR, which struck the southern coastal and inland areas of Bangladesh on 15 November 2007, with immediate relief distribution in the most affected areas. To date, the BDRCS/Federation have distributed urgently needed food and are in the process of distributing non-food relief items to approximately 100,000 people (20,000 households) across the four most affected districts of Bagerhat, Barguna, Patuakhali and Pirojpur. Relief distributions to another 200,000 people (40,000 households) across an additional five districts will continue after the Eid and Christmas religious holidays.
Detailed assessment activities are ongoing for early recovery activities across a range of sectors. While immediate shelter needs are being met through the distribution of plastic sheeting and tarpaulins, support for more durable shelter is consistently identified by beneficiaries as their highest priority. Implementation of a community based cyclone resistant shelter programme will commence in early January 2008, targeting 5,000 new household shelters and 30,000 improved household shelters across the four most affected districts. In addition, British Red Cross support will target the extremely vulnerable and hard-to-reach fishing communities on the southern coastline with durable shelter and livelihoods assistance.
Though the incidence of sanitation related diseases did not pose a problem following the cyclone and resultant flooding, with the onset of cold weather in the disaster affected areas, BDRCS and Federation health workers remain concerned about preventing the spread of diseases like acute respiratory tract infection. The areas affected have chronic poor water quality sources and sanitation practices which will need to be addressed over the medium to longer term. Early water and sanitation assistance is in an advanced stage of planning with community level infrastructure works anticipated to commence in January 2008.
The psycho-social well-being of the communities affected by the disaster will be addressed through the provision of psychological first aid to those who have suffered great loss and to BDRCS staff and volunteers. The psycho-social needs assessment team has completed their assessment and the report and plan of action will be available in the coming weeks. With timely funding assistance (commitments being sought) the programme will be able to deploy 20 psychology students from Dhaka university, trained in psychological first aid and referral, as volunteers to the worst affected communities in early January 2008.
Planning for the provision of livelihoods assistance to affected communities has commenced and a range of options for early assistance are being investigated. The livelihoods assistance programme will target shelter programme recipients for an integrated approach to household recovery. Similarly, water and sanitation and health assistance will seek to compliment the community based approach to shelter reconstruction.
Since the launch of the Appeal, international response has been positive. The plan of action prepared by the BDRCS, with the support of the delegation and FACT has been circulated. However, in due course of time the need to revise it depending upon the financial situation and the operational need may take place. A donor contribution list attached with this operations update that shows contributions for which pledge management notes have been received. Including those pledges which are currently indicated but not confirmed in writing, to date we have reached 55.57% coverage.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of those who have contributed or pledged to this Appeal. However, there is still a need for further contributions to enable BDRCS/Federation to deliver the planned assistance as laid out in this Appeal.