A complex road to recovery

As of 12th October, official reports show 379,738 confirmed coronavirus cases in Bangladesh and 5,555 related deaths. It ranks 16th most affected country in the world. However, the situation in-country feels very different. The cost of coronavirus tests and the potential implications of being seen as ‘COVID-positive’ mean many go untested. We don’t know the true scale or spread of the virus.

But coronavirus is just one of the many challenges people are facing. Lockdown has resulted in extreme food shortages. Labourers rely on their daily wage to put food on the table. Without work, there is none. There’s been violence between police and communities. Child abuse has increased and we’re seeing a serious impact on mental health.

In May, super-cyclone ‘Amphan’ hit the coast, travelling north across the country. 10 million people were affected, 330,000 houses damaged and 55,600 destroyed. People had to choose whether to stay in their homes and brave the cyclone or find a shelter and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with 1,500 people, at a time when they were being told to social distance. At least 100,000 people were displaced and forced to stay on embankments. 118 people lost their lives.

Reports estimate damage to electricity grids, schools, bridges, embankments, roads, drinking water sources, and community infrastructure, at a cost of £130 million.

Then, as communities began to rebuild after Amphan, the monsoon rains came and didn’t stop. In June, another tragedy hit. The mighty Brahmaputra River burst its banks, submerging up to 37% of the country. Nearly a million homes were inundated, affecting 4.7 million people. At least 135 have died, most of them children.

Coronavirus, Amphan and monsoon have collided to create complex crises, the effects being felt most heavily by the poorest, particularly those in the informal sector. These ‘black swan’ events are no longer once-in-a-lifetime challenges, but increasing in number and severity.

I recently heard the term ‘Project Everyone’ referring to the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs (the global commitment to peace and prosperity for all). It has never felt more true and more necessary. Governments, public, private and third sectors, we all need to contribute. The road to recovery in Bangladesh is long, the road to an equitable world much longer.

AzuKo will continue to serve those who are disproportionately affected by coronavirus. We exist to ensure they do not fall further in between the cracks.

So far we have:

• delivered vital hygiene supplies to 2,990 families without access to the basics – soap, sanitiser, disinfectant, face masks and other PPE

• reached over 27,000 with our virus prevention campaign (sharing information for how to keep safe) via audio rickshaws, leaflets and community banners

• trained our frontline staff, volunteers and heads of 14 wards in best practice, including hand washing techniques and dispelling COVID myths and rumours

• provided protective equipment (PPE) for our frontliners

Read more about our coronavirus response

Thank you to all our supporters who continue to make our work possible. It has been a challenging few months but we march on, determined to play our part.

Author: Jo Ashbridge

The right to play

Our work with JAAGO Foundation in Bangladesh centres around the importance of play for children’s development. The brief is to design a playground which incorporates a range of learning opportunities in a richly rewarding place.

“We believe play is far more than letting off steam and is a fundamental right of all children, everywhere.”

We've been addressing our assumptions head on... what does play mean in a Bangladesh context? What do playscapes look like? What games do children play?

Who better to ask than the students themselves. Meet Ridoy, he's 6 years old.

(Photo: J. Ashbridge)

Ridoy is the youngest of three children, and lives with his mother and father. His family make icecream and at the weekends he sometimes joins them to sell door to door. From Monday to Friday he attends kindergarten class at one of JAAGO's schools. He's learning the Bangla alphabet, English, maths and art... and dreams of becoming a doctor one day.

Ridoy loves to play games with his friends, everything from 'pani e ebong' (ice-water) which is similar to the British game of stuck in the mud and 'ilish ilish' (fish fish) a two team game involving tiptoeing and guessing who dun'it, to the widely played Bangladeshi favourite 'kutkut' which is a variant of hopscotch.

... but his real favourite is cricket.

We’ll be designing with Ridoy and his classmates. Find out more about our JAAGO playspace project.

Author: J. Ashbridge

Not all heroes wear capes

AzuKo, like so many charities across the UK, has been hugely impacted by the cancellation of thousands of fundraising events due to COVID-19. In response, the organisers of the biggest mass participation sports events across the country have come together to create a new campaign to save the UK’s charities – The 2.6 Challenge.

AzuKo is protecting families living in abject poverty in Bangladesh during this crisis, and we reached out to supporters for help. You answered our call.

Team 26x26, with 26 members (23 people + 3 dogs from Hong Kong to Bangladesh, Italy, UK and USA) set themselves a target to walk/run/cycle every day from Sunday 19th April to reach 26 marathons distance (1097.17km) by Sunday 26th April.

“We are so lucky compared to many and anything we can do to raise funds to support those who need our help and also support the wonderful work undertaken by charities such as AzuKo, we will.”

— Hilary Battye

Not only did they reach their target - they smashed right through it, clocking up 30.7 marathons for AzuKo. Their spectacular efforts raised £3,104. These funds will deliver vital hygiene supplies to families in need, train local leaders in good hygiene, share virus prevention information and provide PPE for our frontline staff and volunteers.

Check out their inspiring (and gruelling!) journey on Facebook, and sponsor Team 26x26.