The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Monday started delivering emergency humanitarian assistance to 3,200 families of Muslims from Rakhine who fled to Bangladesh since October 2016.
The distribution programme simultaneously launched in the morning at Leda School and Darga C&B field in Nhila Union of Teknaf upazila in Cox’s Bazar.
On the first day, over 400 families received assistance in the form of six essential food items, 50 kg rice, four kg lentil, four litre soya bean oil, four kg sugar, two kg salt and two kg semolina that will cover one month’s food ration. With this assistance, the BDRCS and ICRC intend to support the most vulnerable people with essential food items to meet their basic needs.
Tushar Ahmed, TeknafuUpzila Nirbahi Officer; Boris Boris Kelecevic, Deputy Head of Delegation of ICRC; Selim Ahmed, Coordinator of MRRO, BDRCS; and Abdusaloh Rasulov, Field Delegate, ICRC were present.
The nine-day long distribution programme will cover nearly 19,000 people, and will be carried in line with the outcome of the field assessment of the essential needs and identification of the most vulnerable families, in coordination with the local BDRCS unit, local administration, Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners and other international agencies working in the field. In Ukhiya and Teknaf, the BDRCS and ICRC have been responding jointly to the most urgent needs of the Muslims from Rakhine through supporting the two main health facilities in Ukhia and Teknaf and deploying mobile health team to the rural villages to reach out to bigger number of refugees.
