Brac Urban Development Program (UDP) on Tuesday started essential food package distribution for people from two big slums --- Korail in Banani and Shahidnagar in Lalbagh of the city to tackle the situation arisen due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Brac UDP will distribute 7,500 food packages door to door to the daily wage earners, a press release said on Wednesday.
Bangladesh government imposed a countrywide general holiday from March 23, which will end on April 11.
Brac has taken different measures --awareness-building programs-- hand washing, disinfecting public places and transport, distributing hand rub, liquid soap and soap bars, and distributing essential food packages and or disbursing cash in 20 cities.
The essential food package contains 7kg rice, 1kg lentil, 1kg edible oil, 1 kg salt, 2kg flour, 2 pieces of hand soap, and half kg detergent powder.
In the distribution program in Korail slum, UDP Director Dr Md Liakath Ali said Brac UDP in the last two weeks worked for building awareness on frequent hand washing, maintaining physical distance, and disinfecting public places and transports to contain the pandemic.
He said, “UDP started distribution of essential food packages for the extremely poor and the daily wage earners. We will continue the support in either food packages or cash for the people who need more amid the coronavirus outbreak.”
During the distribution in Korail Ward 19 Councillor Mofizur Rahman Mofiz and in Shahidnagar Ward 24 Councillor Mokaddes Hossen Jahid were present.
Besides, senior Brac UDP staff were also present, among others.
To make people aware about coronavirus, UDP distributed around 250,000 leaflets and stickers among the mass people by setting up 42 booths in different parts of the country, since March 19.
UDP so far sanitized around 200,000 people and distributed around 250,000 liquid soap sachets and 50,000 soap bars among poor people in 12 cities and eight municipalities.
The UDP is working with the local community, city corporations, municipalities, district civil surgeons, deputy commissioners, and other government authorities to fight against the Covid-19 outbreak.
Brac will continue its effort to make people safe and resilient during the pandemic.
