By Elishya Perera
DHAKA, Bangladesh (CWBN)_ The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSRelief) signed a joined statement yesterday (Nov 12th), to co-fund a programme managed by the World Food Programme (WFP) to rehabilitate cyclone shelters in Cox’s Bazar, in Bangladesh, by providing US$1 million each.
According to Saudi Press Agency, a government news agency, the multi-sector joint program aims to rehabilitate muti-use homes in the vulnerable and disaster-prone region.
It is reported that more than 87,000 individuals would benefit from the program, including “the people in need and most affected by natural disasters and conflict in Bangladesh”.
USAID Acting Deputy Administrator, John Barsa, KSRelief Supervisor General, Dr. Abullah Al Rabeeah, U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, John Abizaid, and Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States, HRH Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, participated in the virtual signing ceremony.
During his remarks, Barsa commended KSRelief for joining USAID as a leading donor, while he also thanked the WFP for its partnership with USAID to combat global hunger and respond to the Rohingya crisis and other humanitarian emergencies around the world.
Bangladeshi communities in Cox’s Bazar host over 860,000 Rohingya refugees, including the world’s largest refugee camp, and the region is particularly prone to frequent cyclones that form in the Bay of Bengal, rendering the residents vulnerable to flooding and landslides.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), between 1877–2017, Bangladesh was hit by 154 cyclones, of which, at least 17 hit Cox’s Bazar. The most prominent one was in 1991, when cyclone Gorky killed 139,000 people in Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong.
Accordingly, the WFP has initiated the Disaster Resilience Project, which is funded by the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, an organisational unit within USAID, and in January this year, the WFP handed over 40 newly rehabilitated cyclone shelters to the Government of Bangladesh, as part of the first phase of the Project.
According to the Organisation, each shelter has room for an average of 1,000 people and can double up as a school during the day.
“Cox’s Bazar is one of the most vulnerable and disaster-prone regions of Bangladesh,” Peter Guest, Emergency Coordinator for WFP in Cox’s Bazar, said at a handover ceremony of one of the shelters. “It is exposed to multiple natural hazards such as tropical cyclones and associated storm surges, flash flooding, and landslides. That is why we have prioritized strengthening the resilience of the local community to save lives during natural disasters.”
The WFP has said that throughout 2020, the Organisation expects to rehabilitate another 40 shelters in the region.
Edited By Chathushka Perera
