Bangladesh Cyclone Appeal Update

Introduction

The people of Bangladesh regularly have to deal with devastating natural hazards, but Cyclone Sidr caused untold damage in the region. All 13 Member Agencies ran programmes to help the people living in the 9 coastal districts most severely affected by the cyclone.

Programme Progress

84% (£5m) of DEC funds was distributed for the first allocation and in September 2008 a further £1 million was allocated to 5 of the DEC Agencies that were most on track with their first programmes.

After responding to the immediate emergency, Member Agencies focused on helping shattered communities rebuild their lives and livelihoods. The Bangladeshi Government assigned each agency an area in which to work, reducing the risk of overlap. With so many homes lost, providing shelter was crucial. DEC Agencies could not meet all the needs but each focused on helping those who were most vulnerable - the poorest, widows, the elderly and households headed by children. Some Member Agencies set out to support families without land, including fishing communities living precariously outside the coastal levies.Bangladesh Appeal Spend
In addition to housing, support was directed towards rebuilding livelihoods through the provision of boats, seeds, tree saplings and other support including training. Member Agencies also rebuilt damaged schools and improved health through access to clean water by providing pond water filters, digging wells and hygiene education.

Headline Achievements After 9 Months’ Activity

DEC Agencies report that a total of 401,794 households, with an average of 5 people per household, have been assisted with these funds.

Shelter & Construction Water & Sanitation Livelihoods
  • 4,000 houses built
  • 2,060 families provided with materials for temporary houses
  • 500 houses repaired
  • 5 schools rebuilt with toilet facilities
  • 590 ponds cleaned
  • 53 tube wells constructed, 67 repaired or cleaned
  • 2,620 latrines built
  • 1,000 households received kits to construct a latrine
  • 1,810 pond sand filters distributed
  • Chlorinated water distributed for 30 days to 13,500 households
  • 19,500 Hygiene kits
  • 11,250 households benefited from hygiene education
  • More than 280 Boats equipped with nets supporting 1,020 households
  • 4 market places rebuilt to support the local economy
  • Milking cows to 460 families; 3 goats to 1,700 & 550 elderly received other small livestock.
  • 4,050 livestock vaccinated
  • 2,950 households received grants or Cash for Work to start up livelihood activities
  • Seeds provided for 26,110 households
  • 111,350 tree saplings planted
Health Disaster Preparedness Relief Items Distributed
  • Improved access to health care for 104,500 households
  • Emergency medical assistance provided to 58,280
  • Oral rehydration solution distributed to 5,000 older people
  • 2,000 mosquito nets
  • 1 Cyclone shelter for 400 families
  • Training for 4,690 children on Disaster Preparedness
  • Food packs to 36,140 households
  • 47,920 cash for work days provided
  • 141,830 Households received items such as jerry cans, blankets, clothes and cooking utensils
Education & Training
  • 35,770 children provided with school supplies, warm clothing & learning materials
  • 21,000 children supported back to schools
  • 1,230 teachers and volunteers trained in children’s psychosocial needs
  • 240 teachers trained in hygiene and nutrition
  • 2,420 households benefited from livelihood and technical training

Challenges faced by the Member Agencies

The challenge presented by the requirement of the Bangladesh NGO Bureau to present all programme plans for approval before implementation resulted in significant delays for some agencies. This was compounded by the deliberations of the UN Shelter Cluster, which took 9 months to agree finally on a standard for the rebuilding of houses. Additional time was taken to secure land to build new homes for those who were previously classed as landless. The DEC took the view that it was better for the beneficiaries to have a quality programme than to rush expenditure. During this time, exchange rates moved adversely for sterling. All these factors resulted in fewer houses and boats being built with DEC funds than had been first planned. Member Agencies that decided to support families that did not own land faced delays in securing suitable plots. Despite this delay, some of the poorest and most vulnerable families now face a more secure future.

Review activity and lesson learning

A DEC Monitoring Mission identified that almost all Member Agencies appropriately used cash transfers and vegetable seed distribution to help with the early recovery, enabling communities to quickly re-establish gardens for the planting season. Three Member Agencies drew on lessons from previous disasters and targeted their shelter efforts on quality transitional materials to provide adequate protection against the impending monsoon. There was good evidence of involvement of beneficiaries in the disaster response with a high awareness of gender issues and the importance of respecting local customs and culture.

Many Member Agencies recognised their programmes were ambitious for the time allowed and had miscalculated the time it takes to get agreements on land and shelter design. Working with the landless was considered a positive intervention, despite the difficulties this presented. DEC Agencies worked closely with the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership to improve systems of working with communities. Through this they found new ways to advertise their programmes and set up feedback and complaints mechanisms.

Nine DEC Agencies have either undertaken or are in the process of commissioning evaluations of their programmes. Some of these will feature on the individual websites.

Conclusion

Cyclone Sidr caused huge damage to the coastal area of Bangladesh, with considerable loss of life. The affected area is not as prone to cyclones as other areas so many people were unprepared. DEC Agencies have a long standing presence in the country with sound relationships with partner agencies. This enabled many of them to quickly utilise resources to assist the early phase of the relief activities.