Food Crisis in Bangladesh- Please Pray

Two floods and a devastating cyclone last year, combined with a sharp rise in global rice prices, have left some 60 million of Bangladesh’s poor, who spend about 40% of their skimpy income on rice, struggling to feed themselves. Compassion’s registered children and the projects they go to our feeling the affect of the Food Crisis first hand.

The price of rice the main food in Bangladesh has risen by 90% in the last 6 months. Each project in Bangladesh has a 5 to 6 day a week Supplemental Feeding program for the noon meal for each registered child. The current food crisis (price increases) has caused projects to reduced the amount of rice, lentil, fish, meat and vegetables they feed at lunch time to the children; and many children’s’ only meal comes from the projects as families are hard press to buy food at the current price.

Brief Description:

Bangladesh office is working on a BD-DRF-Food Crisis in Bangladesh intervention. The funding is to maintain the current level of Supplemental Feeding in all of BD’s 82 projects for the next 6 months. The proposal is for $ 138,213. The current food crisis (price increases) has caused projects to reduced the amount of rice, lentil, fish, meat and vegetables they feed at lunch time to the children; and many children’s’ only meal comes from the projects as families are hard press to buy food at the current price. For example a family of 6 need 3kg of rice a day, what was 31 cents a kg (3 months ago) is know 56 cents a kg- the father is a day labor and makes just above $1 a day- the family no longer has enough money to buy all the rice it needs- let alone other food stuff.

Two stories of many:

Ashu Das (BD-5040123) was asked about the meal at their own house, the 9 year old boy couldn’t control his tears. He said, “My parents and my brothers and sisters don’t have anything to eat at lunch or dinner. We don’t have food every day. They starve the whole day, I have a meal in the project, but when I am having meal then it reminds me of my parents and brothers and sisters who are starving. I can not share my meal with my family; my family is in great misery. ”

Two orphan girls Sonia Akhtar (BD-5081034) and Jakia Sultana (BD-5081020) at project BD-508 are facing the cruelest reality as the families that took care of them are trying to get rid of them due to price hiking of food and others.

Thank you for your prayers for the children of Bangladesh.

Objectives:

To maintain the quality and quantity of the Supplemental Feeding program in all projects for the next six months to ensure at least one proper meal (5 to 6 days a week) to all registered children during this time of high food prices. Including:

• Helping the projects maintain their Supplemental Feeding program to all registered children following proper nutritional guidelines.
• Helping registered children’s families by providing one proper meal five to six days a week at the project for their registered child.
• Helping the projects maintain all other activities as per their annual plan instead of diverting activity funding to the supplemental feeding program.

Beneficiaries:

All 82 projects children both sponsored and unsponsored for a total of 11,882 precious children.

Activity Dates:

1 June 2008 thru 30 November 2008.

Total Cost: $ 138,213 The minimum amount of funding is $46,071. That is the amount needed to assure a balanced meal 5 to 6 days a week for all Compassion Bangladesh registered children for two months during this food crisis!

This is to keep you informed and praying for the precious children of Bangladesh.

However, if you would want to donate money to the Food Crisis in Bangladesh please go to https://www.compassion.com and donate to Disaster Relief or call Compassion at 1-800-336-7676 and ask to donate to Food Crisis in Bangladesh.