150 route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland Tel: 41 22 791 6033 Fax: 41 22 791 6506 e-mail: [email protected]

Appeal Coordinating Office

Bangladesh Flood Relief – ASBD01 Appeal Target: US$ 57,649

Geneva, 14 September 2000

Dear Colleagues,

The situation in has worsened over the last few weeks with flooding and erosion caused by heavy rains and tidal surges in the coastal areas. Some of the earlier damage is attributed to the same flood waters which devastated N E India a few weeks ago.

As one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world, Bangladesh experiences devastating cyclones, tidal surges and heavy annual rains. This year the monsoon rains have again been particularly destructive in some areas, inundating cultivated areas and washing away homes besides causing the usual loss of property, livestock and infrastructure.

As usual, the flood waters have mostly affected the more vulnerable of the population, many of whom are currently living in terrible conditions with no access to food or potable water.

As the disaster has totally destroyed the mud houses and means of livelihood of the people affected, ACT member KOINONIA is proposing to assist the most vulnerable families affected by the current floods with a one time distribution of:

¨ Food items ¨ Mosquito nets

ACT is a worldwide network of churches and related agencies meeting human need through coordinated emergency response. The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland. Bangladesh Floods 2 ASBD-01

Project Completion Date: 15 November 2000.

Summary of Appeal Targets, Pledges/Contributions Received and Balance Requested

US$ Total Appeal Target(s) 57,649 Less: Pledges/Contr. Recd. 12,321

Balance Requested from ACT Network 45,328

Please kindly send your contributions to the following ACT bank account:

Account Number - 102539/0.01.061 (USD) Account Name: ACT - Action by Churches Together Banque Edouard Constant Cours de Rive 11 Case postale 3754 1211 Genève 3 SWITZERLAND

We would appreciate being informed of any intent to submit applications for EU, USAID and/or other back donor funding and the subsequent results. We thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.

ACT Web Site address: http://www.act-intl.org

Ms. Geneviève Jacques Thor-Arne Prois Rev. Rudolf Hinz Director ACT Coordinator Director WCC/Cluster on Relations LWF/World Service Bangladesh Floods 3 ASBD-01

I. REQUESTING ACT MEMBER INFORMATION

KOINONIA is the service organ of the National Christian Fellowship of Bangladesh (NCFB). NCFB is an ecumenical organisation of 16 member denominations, 16 associate Para Church members and 7 fraternal Mission societies. It is a non-profit, Non-Government Organization (NGO).

Since its establishment in 1986, KOINONIA has had comprehensive experience in emergency relief and in alleviating the suffering caused by the many natural disasters that hit Bangladesh. Some of the most recent relief assistance undertaken includes:

¨ Distribution of blankets to 2,500 families in the Gaibanha, , , , , Jamalpur, Nowgoan and areas to combat the exceptionally cold winter conditions at the beginning of 2000. ¨ Flood relief in the form of food distribution in Kachua, Chandpur, Bandarban and Cox’s Bazar to 2,060 families in 1999. ¨ Shelter materials for 2,103 flood affected families in Gopalganj, Bagerhat, , Madaripur, , , Sirajganj, Jamalpur, Sherpur, , Gopalganj and in 1998. ¨ Reparation of 40 flood damaged schools in Gopalganj, Bagerhat, Khulna, Madaripur and Barisal in 1998.

II. IMPLEMENTING ACT MEMBER and PARTNER INFORMATION

KOINONIA’s implementing partners include churches and local NGOs. The Association of Baptists is a respected Mission running a Hospital Ministry in the area. KOINONIA has been working with them since 1991 to assist the needy people in the area.

SUNDAR is a local NGO working in the Jumuna river basin area (char land). During the 1998 floods, KOINONIA worked with SUNDAR in Sirajganj area to help flood victims with relief materials. Fifty families were provided with blankets and in 1999, another 50 families were provided with building materials for housing.

KOINONIA provides training support in disaster management and mitigation for its partners. The churches/partner organizations send their trainees for training in such sectors as Development Education, Health & Nutrition and Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) Training Program, among others. The latest training was a Five-Day Disaster Management and Mitigation Seminar at the Association of Baptist Churches premises in Chittagong in June 2000.

III. DESCRIPTION of the EMERGENCY SITUATION

Background Bangladesh, one of the most disaster prone countries in the world is again suffering a destructive monsoon period this year which has particularly affected the southern and coastal region. Initially the floods started as a spill over from the Indian floods of a few weeks ago, but conditions have got steadily worse. A tidal surge in the Bay of has wreaked havoc on the coastal communities along the Bay of Bengal, rendering 35,000 homeless. Every year the rains erode more of the banks and coastlines adversely affecting persons living there and usually the poor and marginalised invariably lose their homes and even their livelihoods. Bangladesh Floods 4 ASBD-01

This year, excessive flood-waters from hilly areas and the Mathamuhari river have flooded 13 unions of Chokoria thana in the Cox’s Bazar district. Similarly, Tekania union in Sadar Upazila of is also severely affected by flood water from neighboring countries.

The worst affected are the poorest and maginalized sections of the society along with widowed/separated women and families headed by women. The floods have totally destroyed their mud houses and means of livelihood to an extent which exceeds their capacity to cope with the situation.

As the flood-affected areas are prone to malaria and dengue fever, there is thus a dire need for mosquito nets along with emergency food to tide the most vulnerable over until they can again resume their normal lives. The affected families have no resources of their own to cope with the aftermath of floods as they were already living a life below poverty level before the floods.

Current situation Most severely affected areas are Guniya and Harbang that were struck during the first week of August affecting over 100,000 persons. The most urgently needed food aid is rice and pulses which need to be packed and transported. There is also an urgent need for mosquito nets, building materials and agricultural inputs such as paddy and vegetable seeds to help the most vulnerable on their way to recovery.

KOINONIA has received requests from local churches and NGOs for flood relief assistance in the areas of Guniya and Harbang, Cox’s Bazar as well as from Sirajganj.

Impact on Human Lives Although no deaths have occurred as a result of the floods in Cox’s Bazar, 2 persons have lost their lives at Sirajganj and several people were injured. In Cox’s Bazar, at least 100,000 persons have been affected while the figure for Sirajganj is around 10,000. KOINONIA has carried out an assessment and the most essential needs are relief food and mosquito nets.

Locations for proposed Response

District Thana Union # of villages Cox’s Bazar Chokoria Guniya 10 Harbang Sirajganj Kazipur Tekani 10 2 2 3 20

The target locations at Cox’s Bazar are about 550 km from the capital city Dhaka in the south-west, while Sirajganj is about 150 km from the capital city Dhaka to the north-west. In Cox’s Bazar, KOINONIA will be working with church organizations with whom KOINONIA has a well established working relationship and who have capacity to undertake emergency relief activities in the affected locations. These organisations include the Memorial Christian Hospital, Nasrat Baptist Church and the local Government agency - 5 No. Harbang Union Parishad. In Sirajganj, KOINONIA will work with SUNDAR, a local NGO.

Disaster and Emergency Statistics The following data is based on newspaper reports and NGO estimates.

Description/Items Cox’s Bazar Sirajganj Bangladesh Floods 5 ASBD-01

People affected 100,000 10,000 Deaths Nil 2 Schools damaged 300 20 Bridges and Roads damaged 2 1 Malaria/Dengue fever affected 4,000 1,000 (Civil Surgeon Offices)

Current Security Situation There is no problem of access to the proposed targeted locations and working areas as the areas can be reached by existing transport and communications systems in the country. Nor are there any security problems in the affected areas.

IV. GOAL and OBJECTIVES

The project aims to provide life saving and life sustaining assistance to the most vulnerable of the flood affected people.

Objectives: ¨ To provide food in the form of rice and lentils (pulse) to 5,000 families in the targeted locations. ¨ To provide one mosquito net (family size) to each of the 5,000 families to help them combat dengue and malaria.

V. TARGETED BENEFICIARIES

A total of 5,000 families will be targeted for provision of food and mosquito nets. The targeted beneficiaries will be from among the most vulnerable persons/families affected by the current disaster and will include: ¨ Women headed households ¨ Landless day-laborer families ¨ Families affected by river erosion

Criteria used for beneficiary selection Surveys will be made by the local people, church leaders and partner organizations as well as the local government authorities to verify the most needy. The final beneficiaries’ list will then be approved by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), the highest Government Civil Servant in the Upazila (County).

VI. PROPOSED EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE and IMPLEMENTATION

Description of Assistance 5,000 families will receive 15 kg of rice, 3 kg of lentils and one mosquito net per family. This relief assistance is expected to help these families to tide over the immediate crisis period.

Implementation Description per Activity The Relief Coordinator of KOINONIA along with other senior staff will organize the whole operation of procuring, transportation and distribution of relief materials. Procurement will be done through a purchase committee. Food materials will be purchased from wholesale markets, packed and transported to the affected areas for distribution.

Orders will be placed for manufacturing the mosquito nets at whole-sale price and with delivery within seven days. Bangladesh Floods 6 ASBD-01

The whole relief operation will be monitored by KOINONIA's 5 Member Emergency Relief Committee comprising 2 Board Members, the Executive Director and the Finance and Relief Coordinators.

While a Field Office will be based in the Memorial Christian Hospital in Malumghat for Cox’s Bazar, KOINONIA's will oversee the entire relief operation from its head office in Dhaka.

Implementation will be carried out by ten volunteers recruited from the local communities, under the supervision of KOINONIA's and partner organisation's staff.

Sixteen trucks will be hired for transportation of the relief materials to the locations. For staff and volunteer transport, office vehicles will be used.

Transition From Emergency KOINONIA has future plans of rehabilitation of the victims of river erosion by providing shelter, tube wells and slab-latrines.

VII. PROJECT ADMINISTRATION, FINANCE, MONITORING, REPORTING

Administration The project will be administered by KOINONIA and at the field level the Association of the Baptist Church and partner organization SUNDAR will help in distribution of relief materials through staff and volunteers.

Finance Management and Controls The project funds will be spent as per requisition approved by the KOINONIA Emergency Relief Committee.

Monitoring & Reporting Procedures Project Monitoring will be built into the overall activities at the field level. Local Churches and partner organizations will help to select beneficiaries and distribute relief materials and the Relief Coordinator will supervise the whole relief operation and report to the Executive Director of KOINONIA.

Reports will be prepared at the field level and submitted on a regular basis to KOINONIA's office in Dhaka. Being a one off distribution program, KOINONIA will submit a report as per ACT Reporting guidelines to ACT Geneva on completion of the project.

VIII. IMPLEMENTATION TIMETABLE The project will be implemented within two months after receiving funds and the Government's formal approval.

IX. COORDINATION

KOINONIA works in co-operation and in co-ordination with local administrations such as the Union Parishad Chairman and Upazila Nirbahi Officer in the areas of operation as well as with the NGO Affairs Bureau based in Dhaka, from which office approval has to be obtained for any relief project.

KOINONIA has for long been working in effective participation and coordination with the local NGOs to reach the real beneficiaries and to avoid duplications. Bangladesh Floods 7 ASBD-01

X. BUDGET

Pledges/Contributions Received US$ q TEAR Fund, U.K. GBP (A)8,000 11,680 q CEDER Fund, Hong Kong HK$ (B)5,000 641 Total 12,321

ACT/KOINONIA ESTIMATED EXPENDITURE

Description Type of No of Unit cost Budget Unit Units US$ US$ Direct Assistance Rice Kg. 75,000 0.30 22,223 Lentils (Pulse) Kg. 15,000 0.70 10,556 Mosquito nets Piece 5,000 3.70 18,519 Sub total 51,298

Material, Transport, Storage, Warehousing & Support Truck rental Truck 16 129.63 2,074 Packing material Piece 10,000 0.19 1,852 Sub total 3,926

Personnel, Administration, Operations & Support Salaries Relief Coord @ BDT 13,708 pm (C) Month 2 259 517 Driver @ BDT 6,540 pm (C) Month 2 123 247 Honorarium for 10 volunteers Day 10 37 370 Staff and volunteers transport Day 20 28 556 Office operations Communications Lumpsum 150 150 Stationery and supplies Lumpsum 100 100 Utilities Lumpsum 150 100 Local transport Lumpsum 200 200 Sub total 2,240

Audit and evaluation Audit fees Lumpsum 185

TOTAL APPEAL TARGET & EXPENDITURE 57,649

BALANCE REQUESTED FROM ACT NETWORK US$ 45,328

Exchange Rates: (A) GBP 1 = US$ 1.46 (B) HKG 1 = US$ 0.128238 (C) BDT 1 = US$ 0.018868