PepsiCo in Bangladesh, along with the global food and beverage company’s

philanthropic arm, the PepsiCo Foundation, has partnered with BRAC, the world’s
leading NGO to provide over 1.4 million meals to support low-income and ultra-poor
families impacted by coronavirus pandemic across Bangladesh. This initiative is part of
PepsiCo’s #GiveMealsGiveHope global programme.

As part of the partnership, BRAC, will be the on-ground implementation partner to

provide dry rations to the low income and ultra-poor families in close collaboration with
the Local administration including law enforcement authorities.

Debasish Deb, Country Manager, PepsiCo Bangladesh, said, “Bangladesh, like the

rest of the world, is facing it’s biggest healthcare challenge. In response to the same,
we are partnering with BRAC to provide meals, a critical requirement, to the
communities most impacted by COVID-19 outbreak. We are committed to give our full
support to the Government of Bangladesh in its fight against the pandemic and will
continue to do our best to serve the Nation in these challenging times.”

Asif Saleh, Executive Director, BRAC, said, "Millions of daily wage earners and the
ultra-poor have been hit hard by the economic aftermath of the pandemic. A recent
survey by BRAC reveals 14% low-income families do not have food at home.  The
generous meals support from PepsiCo Bangladesh is a timely and fitting solution for
emergency food sustenance."

"BRAC has already initiated a cash assistance programme supporting 300,000 families
to buy essential food supplies, however the need is far greater. PepsiCo’s support will
help us to reach more vulnerable people at this critical time. BRAC will continue to
prioritise the most vulnerable - the elderly, pregnant or lactating mothers, people with
disabilities, women-headed households, people living in ultra-poverty and those who
are not receiving support from any other sources,” he added.

PepsiCo globally has announced its commitment to fight the coronavirus pandemic. The
major focus of this effort includes providing 50 million meals across countries through
various partnerships.
Response and recovery efforts supported by $300,000 grant from the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
In the aftermath of Cyclone Amphan, the super cyclonic storm that devastated coastal communities in
Bangladesh in late May, BRAC has been carrying out response and recovery efforts, made more complex by
the COVID-19 pandemic. With more than 200,000 homes reportedly destroyed or damaged, families sought
refuge in neighboring homes and shelters, increasing the chance of contracting COVID-19 in the absence of
social distancing.

BRAC has quickly started to provide multi-purpose conditional (repairing of houses and latrines, and installation
of tippy taps) cash support to 4,600 cyclone-affected households to enable families to return to their own
homes in 10 sub-districts in the districts of Satkhira, Khulna and Bagerhat. The cash assistance of BDT 5,000
(USD ~$60) per household is being provided by mobile money transfers in two installments. Training is also
being provided to residents to install hand washing stations through demonstration efforts, maintaining social
distance, so they can wash their hands safely and reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.

Without access to clean water, it is difficult to maintain basic hygiene practices to prevent contraction of
COVID-19 and diarrhoea. Awareness messages on basic hygiene practices and COVID-19 infection prevention
and control are being disseminated by BRAC staff, who are trained on COVID-19 prevention practices.

BRAC’s emergency response is supported by a $300,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The
grant funded relief and recovery efforts to people suffering the impact of Amphan in Bangladesh.
 
BRAC’s disaster response efforts in Bangladesh have benefited from funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation several times in the last 13 years, starting with Cyclone Sidr in 2007. Most recently, the foundation
provided a grant of $300,000 last year for flood relief.

“BRAC has always looked to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as a key partner in our effort to provide life-
saving services to the most vulnerable people, especially during humanitarian crises,” said Asif Saleh,
Executive Director of BRAC. “This support was no exception. It allowed us to mobilise resources quickly, during
the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide much-needed cash support to the families most affected by Cyclone
Amphan so they can get back on their feet.

BRAC, with the help of donors and partners, has delivered emergency cash support to 360,000
families. Under the Microfinance programme, savings were returned to 500,000 members, to
support in their economic recovery process.
Fight against novel coronavirus

100,000 BRAC staff, volunteers working in communities to raise awareness.

BRAC has instructed all non-essential staff working at its head office in the capital’s
Mohakhali to stay at home and work online from 22-25 March as a preventive measure
against the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. Approximately 2,000 members of
staff work at the head office and non-essential employees constitute those who are not
involved in responding to the coronavirus crisis.

BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh said the decision has been taken as part of
BRAC’s initiative to support the National Response Plan to maximise the organisation’s
impact. The staff will be notified of further actions by Thursday, 19 March.
All BRAC staff at the field offices across the country will also maintain curtailed
activities, Saleh said.
He also urged employees to avoid non-essential travels and said the interim measures
will continue for a week, adding the decision will be reviewed on 28 March.

In the meantime, BRAC’s field officials working under different programmes across the
country have been instructed to join the force of its health programme and act as health
volunteers in different awareness campaigns for Coronavirus prevention.

“We have 50,000 community health volunteers across the country and 45,000 members
of our own staff have joined the force to raise awareness against Coronavirus,” Saleh
said.

Aside from working in the fields, BRAC is using its social media platforms to raise
awareness. Relevant content on proper handwashing and respiratory hygiene is being
regularly promoted through BRAC Facebook page and blog. BRAC has also set up a
dedicated web portal http://www.brac.net/covid19/ on BRAC website where people can
access concrete, reliable and updated information.

Having said that, BRAC is fully prepared to assist the Government of Bangladesh in its
fight against Coronavirus. Asif Saleh also called upon the authorities to decentralise the
COVID-19 testing facilities across the country to deal with the situation more efficiently.

“Currently, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research is the sole
authority to test Coronavirus. Considering the huge number of service seekers, the
government may decentralise the facilities to other hospitals across the country with
necessary kits to help provide identification and treatment services,” said Saleh.

Greta Thunberg to donate €100,000 prize money to flood

relief efforts in India and Bangladesh

BRAC has been running 97 booths across Bangladesh for the last six months with its
own funding to assist the DGHS (Directorate General of Health Services) in COVID-19
testing.

BRAC has been reaching out to donors and partners to mobilise resources. BRAC has
very recently secured a donation from The Global Fund, which will enable us to keep
these booths open till 31 December, 2020.
BRAC is committed to continue to support the Government and the people of
Bangladesh in any national crisis. It will continue to play a key role in the pandemic
response and recovery, to the best of its ability and with support from the donors and
partners.

Donors are likely to jump ship once Bangladesh becomes a middle-income country, meaning the
local non-governmental organisations will have to find alternative sources of finance to carry out
their development activities, said a top official of Brac.

Bangladesh is on course to graduating from the least-developed country bracket and on to the
developing country in 2024.

“Some of the donors will move out to those countries where the need is greater, and Brac is well
aware of the challenge,” said Asif Saleh, senior director of strategy, communications and
empowerment for Brac and Brac International.

To put it in good stead, Brac has been following a strategy of not depending on donor funding
alone.

“It is a model that makes it possible to generate our own resources through investments and
social enterprises. On the one hand, social enterprises meet social needs, and on the other it
generates surplus to support our development programmes,” Saleh told The Daily Star in an
interview recently.