IDP Responses to query on DFID AR and COVID-19 Impact on SPA programmes

1.1. How IDP are targeting marginalized and vulnerable populations during Covid-19 crisis?

Considering the needs and contexts of these people in the hard to reach (covering 5 haor sub-districts
and 4 districts) and Indigenous people areas (covering 4 sub-districts and 3 districts), IDP BRAC has
targeted most vulnerable communities and marginalised people for offering different need-based
interventions to address COVID 19 situation for haor and IP communities. The some of the major
interventions are community awareness, hygiene materials support, cash support for food security and
patients identification & reporting. The special initiatives were taken for the boro harvesters for smooth
and timely crop harvesting in hoar. The targeting mechanisms followed by the IDP as follows:

 Discussions with leaders in community-led organizations: Village Development Organization (VDO)

members and Village Organization (VO). Leaders in these organizations facilitated to target the
neediest people around the community who are mainly:
o Extremely poor, poor & vulnerable families lost their daily wages and income, no savings to
bear daily family needs/expenditure
o HHs with pregnant or lactating mother, elderly members, persons with disabilities, widow,
women headed
o HHs who have not received any support from any other sources (Govt. and other
organization or nor under social safety net programme which is verified by local govt.)
o IDP enlisted UPG members
 Households of marginalized people in indigenous communities: like Santal, Oraon, Malo, Phahan,
Mahali, Shing, Robidas, Vuyian were verified by cross-sectorial people internally and externally. The
frontline field staff made physical verifications and then received endorsement by local government
administrations i.e. Upazila Disaster Management Committee (UDMC), Upazila Chairman, Union
Parishad, Ward member and UNOs.
 Few unaddressed vulnerable and marginalized people are linked with local government to include
them in the recipient list for COVID response support (free 10KG rice and 2 KGs potatoes, support
card to purchase rice at 10tk/kg, free food security supports for disable people).
 Special initiatives taken targeting boro rice harvesters arrived from other areas in haor during the
harvesting period. IDP specially targeted those marginalized and vulnerable daily laborers and
arranged awareness campaign and health safety support (hand washing points, thermal screening).

1.2. Whether there any impact on the ultra-poor and hard to reach population?

The key impact on the ultra-poor and hard to reach areas:

 People lost their daily income and earnings sources during the lockdown period (restricted
movement, close the business, distancing etc.). The people with the professions are mostly affected
and those are: rickshaw/ van pullers, street hawkers, day labourers, cobblers, barbers, fishermen,
sweepers, boat/water men, porters, tea sellers, small traders etc. Their daily meals had to adjust i.e.
reduced to twice instead of three meals per day.
 Due to restricted movement in the areas and maintain social distance, formal health care services are
not meeting the utmost quality. Healthcare professionals and patients are both panicked with the
virus. Pregnant and lactating mothers are suffering most from this difficulty. Moreover, unskilled birth
attendants administered new birth in the villages that increased the mortality of mother and new birth.
 Due to limited income opportunities, male members are staying at household, which amplifies the
workload of women by 44% as per the respondents in IDP internal study. This phenomenon also
played as a catalyst to raise domestic violence and sexual harassment.
 As per government order, formal schooling is suspended, so quality teaching-learning activities are
interrupted, which results in children passing leisure time or staying idly (35% of children; internal
 study by IDP) at household. Due to suspended school, 60% parents are thinking of marrying their
underage girls.
 As a result of the limited supply of contraceptive pills and regular family planning sessions during
COVID 19, eligible couples are not following family planning methods. IDP internal rapid study shows,
presently 38% of eligible couples in Haor and 61% in IP areas are not following these methods.
 When the Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA) of Bangladesh paused all sorts of microfinance
activities, women and their households from the vulnerable communities suffered severely. 40% of
the women had taken loans from either local money lenders or neighbors or relatives, which cost
them a large portion of interest. Number of micro finance (MF) clients were returned with their loan
savings to meet family expenses
 The basic and development supports (health, education, finance, legal, livestock) is found limiting to
the hard to reach and indigenous communities by both public, private and development sector.

2. Whether there will be any change in your cost recovery interventions as per recent budget
revision and contingency plans? Please fill up the following table as applicable for your
programme.

IDP doesn’t have any particular target in cost recovery interventions. However, IDP is providing
mother care services to the pregnant mothers through operating 10 delivery centers in hoar even in
COVID 19 pandemic situation and earned Tk. 50,920 as of April, 2020 as nominal contribution from
them.