US to provide $7m in food assistance to Dhaka slum dwellers in pandemic

The United States has launched a $7 million food assistance fund to help the urban poor in Dhaka cope with COVID-19 challenges.

The US embassy along with World Food Programme or WFP launched the life-saving assistance funding at a virtual event in Dhaka on Wednesday, according to a statement.

The US government will fund the programme through the United States Agency for International Development or USAID while the WFP will implement it in collaboration with BRAC.

The food assistance programme will provide the aid to 50,000 low-income people in Kalyanpur and Sattala slums by delivering food packages to families who have been quarantined due to a member infected with the virus.

Additionally, the beneficiaries will receive cash-based transfers for free or low-cost vegetables from Bangladeshi farmers and other nutritious foods from local vendors at convenient prices.

“No family should face hunger because they are staying in their home to help stop the spread of COVID-19,” US Ambassador Earl Miller said at the event.

“The pilot programme will help low-income people in urban areas of Dhaka to get nutritious food they need to stay healthy during these difficult days,” he added.

State Minister for Social Welfare Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru, WFP Country Representative Richard Ragan and BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh also spoke at the fund-launching event.