FHI plans to aid families who lost their
homes to the April 14 tornados in northern Bangladesh.
The severe storms killed at least 77
people and left thousands of families homeless in Mymensingh and Netrakona
districts, areas near current FHI work zones. FHI staff assessing the storm
damage noted that families lacked both materials and labour needed to reconstruct
their homes. "Many of the men work away from home in garment factories
in Dhaka, or are harvesting land in other parts of Bangladesh at present,"
said FHI Bangladesh Country Director John Marsden. "In both cases
to leave this work and go home to help their families means a loss of their
livelihood, which they cannot afford."
FHI therefore is not only providing cash to purchase construction supplies, but is also organising volunteers to build houses both in Netrokona and in Haluaghat, in Mymensingh district. The volunteer teams, made up of both Christian and non-Christian members working side by side, are affiliated with an ongoing FHI initiative called the Mymensingh Family Values Project. FHI hopes that the volunteer workers will be able to construct a total of 30 houses for a group of highly needy families.
Additionally FHI plans to provide replacement textbooks and other educational materials to 100 children.