GAIBANDHA, MAY 31, 2018 (BSS) – Community food bank is getting popularity
among the vulnerable communities of two upazilas of the district to pass
their days without food crisis during any emergency.
The food banks are being set up at community level at Gozaria and Fulchhari
unions of Fulchhari upazila and Holdia and Shaghata unions of Shaghata
upazila under a project.
UK-based international donor organisation OXFAM, which has been working in
the country for long, is proving fund to the project.
The project – Resilience through Economic Empowerment, Climatic
Adaptation, Leadership and Learning (REECALL) 2021 – is being implemented by
SKS Foundation, a local NGO.
The overall goal of the project is to make the vulnerable rural
communities resilient so that they could face any hazardous situation without
difficulties.
Hamida Begum, a member of South Gobindi Community-Based Organisation under
Shaghata union, said they set up a food bank involving 75 members aimed at
addressing food crisis during emergencies.
Last month, each member deposited one kg of rice to the food bank and that
is why a total of 75 kg of rice is being deposited to the bank per month, she
said.
Hamida said they sell the rice at local market and the cash was kept at a
bank account of the CBO to ensure transparency and accountability.
If any member faces food crisis due to natural calamities, including flood
and cold wave, they can take need-base-rice from the bank for the time being,
she added.
After ending the crisis situation, they returned the rice to the bank
without any service charge, Hamida said, adding that the bank is getting
popularity among the poor households here day by day.
A total of 12 food banks have already been set up under the project, said
Tanjina Akter, field facilitator of the project.
Project coordinator Baharam Khan said the rural communities are also being
motivated to cultivate vegetables on their yards at drums using climatic
adaptive agriculture technology to protect the vegetables from floods.