RAJSHAHI, July 14, 2020 (BSS)- Some 400 marginalized human rights defending families including 319 ethnic minorities were given food support in order to enable them to avoid starvation through coping with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic situation.
The distribution programmes were arranged at Madhoil Government Primary School under Patnitala Upazila and at Rasulpur Union Parishad Complex under Niamatpur Upazila in Naogaon district on Monday through maintaining social distancing and other safety precautions.
Each of the households was given 20 kilograms of rice, five kilograms of potatoes, two kilograms of lentil and salt each, one kilogram of edible oil, suji and sugar each, three soaps, three face masks and some emergency medicines like paracetamol, vitamin C and anti-histacin tablets and saline packet as response to the Covid-19.
DASCOH Foundation distributed humanitarian support on behalf of the ‘Promotion of Social Partnership for Empowerment of Marginalized Communities’ project with financial support of BMZ and NETZ.
Upazila Chairman Farid Ahmed and Union Parishad Chairmen Abdul Hamid Sarker, Shahid Mujib and Abdur Rashid and DASCOH Foundation Area Coordinator Jahid Ali joined the programmes.
Jahid Ali told the programmes that the supports were given in the poverty pockets of Dibar, Matindar, Parail and Rasulpur Unions under the two upazila and the support is expected to secure food intake of the recipient families for two to three weeks.
He said the project has been working in the areas focusing its support on protecting and promoting the rights of women, religious minorities and indigenous groups besides institutionalisation of human rights groups from local to national level.
Improving the evidence base on the human rights situation and drawing up recommendations for policy dialogue with government public authorities together with promoting official accountability for the rights of marginalised groups are the allied objectives of the project.
Earlier, another 1,200 distressed and marginalized families including 754 ethnic minority ones in Niamatpur and Patnitala Upazilas of the same district were given similar types of food assistance to overcome the troubled situation.
Jahid mentioned more humanitarian support will be required to secure their food intake to overcome the long term negative impacts of the ongoing troubled situation.