Ensured Food Security among the Vulnerable Landless Poor Laborer during the lockdown on COVID-19 pandemic in CDA’s working areas. RESPONSE REPORT /SNAPSHOTS Support unspent budget from the CDA’s “Sustainable Organization and Land Rights & Agrarian Reform (SOLAR)” Program. Financial supported by: Bread for the World (BftW), Germany ‘Leave No One Behind’.... __________________________________________________________________________________ COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION (CDA) Upa-shahar, Block#01, House# 51, Dinajpur-5200 1 Contents SL # Contents Page # Preface 3 1 Summary of the response 4 project 2 Introduction 5 3 Response Related Activities 5 4 Description of response items 6 5 District & Upazila wise budget 6 &item distributed on COVID- 19 response 6 Participation of local 6-11 Government Officials during the COVID-19 response 7 COVID-19 distribution items 11 coverage by the religion & custom 8 Challenges & Learning to 12 implement the COVID-19 response program 9 Some Reflection of the use on 12-14 COVID-19 response goods by the beneficiaries 2 PREPACE Community Development Association (CDA) is a highly secular, non-partisan, not-for-profit and non-governmental development organization (NGDO) established in 1986 in North-western part of Bangladesh. CDA is facilitates the poorest, landless and marginal farmers along with the plain land indigenous people (IP) including the differently able men, women& youth with a view to empower & ensure access to land Rights from its inception. CDA is currently implementing program for Building Sustainable Organization for Land Right and Agrarian Reform (SOLAR) under the development facilitation process. During the implementation of the program year 2019-2020, a health hazard called Novel COVID-19 pandemic spread-out globally including in Bangladesh since 1st week of March 2020. People are worried about the infected situationrapidly day by day and slowly transmitted from the urban community to rural community(es). In this situation,the Government declared to stay home from 25th March 2020 until further order. In this unexpected & uncertain lockdown, all sections of vulnerable poor & daily income group of people are affected with hunger without food &Jobless throughout the country especially in CDA’s working areas. Government supplies through safetynet are insufficient. Many of the program beneficiaries, Leaders Peoples Organizations, Social Leaders & local government officials were requested to CDA for creating scope to response against COVID-19 epidemic crisis. In this backdrop CDA communicated with its donor ofthe SOLAR program the “Bread for the World-Germany and requested them “how to use the program unspent money for responding on COVID-19 pandemic among CDA current beneficiaries”. Finally CDA got a positive response from the Bread for World-Germany to consider the COVID-19 pandemic issue for CDA working areas. The report is reflected how many vulnerable beneficiaries are covered under the response program and how much unspent budget is allocated from the current SOLAR program and also what types of food items are distributed with the cooperation from different level of local government departments or the participation of the officials in this program etc. CDA expresses thanks and highly appreciates to the Bread for the World-Germany, FMSF –India & NGO Affairs of Bureau (NGOAB)-The Prime Minister Office of the Government Republic of Bangladesh for speedupthe approval process &the Local Government Authorities under Dinajpur & Thakurgaon districts for their cooperation and participation. Also CDA would like to thanks to the managements of People’s Organization (PO) and the leaders who are actively participated in operating the COVID-19 response program in CDA’s working areas as approved. All the best. Shah I Mobin Jinnah Executive Director, CDA 3 1. SUMMARY OF THE RESPONSE PROJECT: The following summary is determined by CDA for responding of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis in 11 nos. of Upazilas (sub-district) under the Dinajpur and Thankurgaon districts. Response Project Goal: Ensured the food Security among the locked down landless poor no income families staying in their home followed by the declaration of the Government of Bangladesh. Objectives: To assess & enlist the vulnerable food insecure families due to uncertain locked down To ensure food security among vulnerable poor& noincome groups at least 1400 families(members composition with Infant, Children, Old ages, pregnant women, Lactating mother, differently able). To supply minimum food items to mitigatehunger among the families during the locked down period from the reserve fund(if possible) from CDA-SOALR Project along-with expected unspent from the existing planned activities(no possibilities to implement during lookdown) in 1st Year. To save the hunger people from food insecurity related mortality & Morbidity Activities: Prepare an Action Plan Submit the response project proposal to the donor for ensure the feedback and approval. Project Sharing in Program Operation Cell (POC) of CDA FD-7 approval is submitted to the local Government administrative authorities. Formation of a responsible coordination team Project information sent to Region officesof CDA List down the hunger families through survey Design food package (food composition in the package) Budget preparation & take approval from donor /NGOAB Prepare distribution schedule by the responsible team. Purchase&distribute to food package in consultation with local Government administrative authority (es). InviteLocal Government Administration, Union Perished, Up-zilla Parishad & Member of the Parliament at constituency level for distribution of the response goods Report to donor / others stakeholders Output Indicators: Enlisted 1400 hunger families with their Particulars along with size and population. Ensured Minimum 10 days food security among hungry families 1400 vulnerable families have access to food under SOLAR program areas in Dinajpur and Thakurgaon districts. Reduced mortality & morbidity of food in secured infant, children, old ages, pregnant women, lactating mother & disables (differently able) Response Areas: Dinajpur and Thakurgaon Districts Response Period: 1st April 2020 to 30th April 2020 Budget: BDT-10,40,000/= 4 2. Introduction: The experience of COVID-19 response is the first time in CDA’ over the three decades in its development journey. Andalso it is the first time that Novel COVID-19 epidemic has spread-out in the country. The healthinfrastructure throughout the country are not ready to deal with COVID-19 pandemic and not well equipped. There was no alternative way of the Government accept to announce lockdown. In this background of the asset less poor people in the society who are dependent on daily income having a detrimental or negative effect on their livelihood in terms of income, employment& food security. Considering the context, CDA ensured food security for a short time among the vulnerable landless poor laborer during the lockdown on COVID-19 pandemic in Dinajpur and Thakurgaon district. The report is focusing the response related activities on COVID-19 pandemic. 3. Response Related Activities: CDA is decentralized response activities to the regional levels such as 4 regions in Dinajpur district and 2 regions in Thakurgaon district according to its project plan, budget and action plan for implementation. CDA prepared a COVD-19 response guidelines with some of the contents consisted as follows: Tile of the guideline Source of funding Budget allocation Coverage of the families Region based beneficiaries segregation Formation of responsible team for response implementation. Implementation Plan. Implementation budget. Beneficiaries selection according to the define criteria. Set out required Beneficiaries information. How to Maintain Government Protocol. Procurement rules and process. Maintain COVID-19 health protocol during the implementation How to maintain record keeping system. Chartered of each family goods items Site selection for distributing of response item Packaging and distribution All regional offices are informed about response related activities:. • Submitted FD-7 to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (sub district level administrative authority) • Submitted and validated CDA beneficiaries assessment list with local administrative authority • Food items by the regional team according to CDA response guideline. • Communicated and Coordinated with the Local union parishad, Government administrative authority, Upazila Parishad & Member of Parliament (MP) at constituency level. • Plan for distribution schedule & invite to the Local union parishad, Government administrative authority, Upazila Parishad & Member of Parliament (MP) at constituency level for distribution of the COVID-19 food response. • COVID-19 food items distributed in 11 nos. of sub districts in Dinajpur and Thakurgaon districts. 5 4. Description of response or food items for each family: SL# Planned response items for each Quantity (Kg/Number) Total # of planned families & family& distributed received response items 1 Rice 10 Kg Total # of family received in 2 Potato 2 kg Dinajpur district- 860 3 Soyabin Oil 0.5 (Half) Kg Total # of family received in 4 Salt 0.5(Half) Kg Thakurgaon district-540 5 Pulse (boter dal) 1 kg 6 Milk Packet / Powder milk 100 gram 7 Hand washing Soap 1 nos. 5. District & Upazila wise budget & items distributed on COVID -19 response: SL# Name of District Name of covered # of families covered by Budget