Standard Chartered, BRAC team up to deliver aid amid coronavirus shutdown

Standard Chartered Bangladesh bank has joined forces with BRAC to deliver aid packages to 5,000 low-income families amid the coronavirus shutdown.

The packages containing staples and non-perishable food items will be delivered to the doorsteps of the underprivileged families.

The bank said in a statement on Thursday that it has launched a raft of programmes and taken scores of initiatives to support underprivileged people in Bangladesh from the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis.

“As a unit we are determined to go ahead implementing our programmes for the benefit of mankind and I am proud to join my 2200 colleagues in supporting our clients and communities through longer-term aid and recovery phase,” said Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Standard Chartered Bangladesh CEO.

"We are attending many communities to provide their essential needs and making them aware of social distancing as we believe all’s compassion, openness and

kindheartedness can help low-income and underprivileged people greatly in such a crucial time to overcome virus scare," said Asif Saleh, BRAC’s executive director.

“This initiative focuses on the demographic group that sits between the bottom of the pyramid and the middle to affluent segments. This is a group which is not a usual beneficiary of social interventions, but whose limited means have been put under severe strain by the disruptions caused by the global health crisis,” Bitopi Das Chowdhury, chief of corporate affairs, brand and marketing at Standard Chartered, said.

Standard Chartered had earlier announced a broad range of support measures for its retail customers and businesses, including loan repayment holidays, fee waivers or cancellations and loan extension facilities.

The bank has initiated a $1 billion global financing programme for companies that will provide goods and services to help the battle against COVID-19.

It has also launched a $50 million fund to support communities hit by the pandemic across its global footprint, including Bangladesh.

BRAC has mobilized its entire workforce including over 100,000 frontline staff, community healthcare workers and volunteers to support communities from the very onset of the COVID-19 crisis.

A total of 43 million programme participants have been oriented on COVID-19 to ensure prevention and outbreak of the disease.

It is developing its funds with the help of partners have reached 300,000 low-income families with emergency cash assistance while a total of 446,569 women have received maternal, neonatal and child healthcare services from 41 of BRAC’s maternity centres.

The nongovernment development organisation is assisting the Directorate General of Health Services to install sample collection booths in vulnerable areas while at least 50 kiosks will be installed in Dhaka by next week to help speeding up the process of sample collection.

Fifty more kiosks will be set up across the country.