For a list of current activities, go to the Bangladesh Trip Report 2005. The following sections describe earlier programs and long-term relief goal of the Bangladesh Relief Fund.
Approximately 380 families were helped in Dalla and Beramaria villages in Dinajpur district (northern Bangladesh) in late July. Most of the families received from $5-$12 in cash. A number of families received significantly more ($25-50). The distribution was done in person by Muhit Rahman, founding director of Bangladesh Relief Fund.
903 families/individuals were helped in Sirajganj (approx. 100 km northwest of Dhaka, on the bank of Jamuna river) in August. Each family/individual received about $10 in cash. The distribution was done in person by Mrs. Dil Ara Rahman (Mrs. Rahman is the mother of Muhit Rahman.)
Approximately $1,000 has been allocated to Bangladesh Environmental Network for direct flood relief under their auspices. It is expected that an additional $5,000 will be allocated for distribution through the same channel. Bangladesh Environmental Network is a network of expatriate Bangladeshis (Mr. Muhit Rahman is one of the founding members of BEN) which works towards the adoption of environmentally sound policies and greater awareness of environmental issues in Bangladesh.
Additional individual relief programs are underway
Bangladesh Relief Fund currently intends to develop a module that can serve as a model economic development unit at the village level. Specifically, we would like to develop a field tested framework whereby a known amount of resources can be input to create a generally reproducible economic outcome. The intent would be to create a recurring and self-sustaining economic engine in the villages, one village at a time, that would slowly but consistently create employment opportunities as well as economic growth at the lower rungs of the village population. We are in the process of negotiating land acquisition for the first such economic unit.
Approximately 20 students from Dalla and Beramaria villages in Dinajpur district who achieved Secondary School Certification (10th grade) from 2002-2004 were awarded lump sum grants of one thousand takas per GPA point (on a 5.0 max scale.) This year, for the first time, one student achieved a 5.0 GPA. We will be watching the development of this student over the next few years. It is our belief that this individual is capable of holding his own amongst any group of students, anywhere in the world.
On a more general level, we expect our educational efforts to focus more on female literacy.