Bangladesh government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday celebrated the inauguration of a new Cash Based Intervention (CBI) programme to support the vulnerable Bangladeshi families in Cox’s Bazar.
Over the course of a year, more than 35,887 families will benefit from cash support in monthly instalments or one-off payments in both Ukhiya and Teknaf sub-districts, as part of the Covid-19 response.
The programme supports 16,887 families as part of the existing social protection programme of Bangladesh government through cash from the Bangladesh Post Office, said the UNHCR.
A further 19,000 targeted families have been selected for emergency cash assistance through ‘Mobile Money’, following assessments conducted in early 2020, using a combination of socio-economic criteria. More than 5,600 families have already received their first instalments.
To avoid direct contact and minimise the risks of transmission of Covid-19, part of the Cash Based Intervention programme is being implemented through ‘Mobile Money’ by a variety of UNHCR partners, including BDRCS, BRAC, CNRS, Mukti and World Vision, as well as through agreements with bKash and Nagad.
For the second year in a row, leading Qatari philanthropist, Sheikh Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al-Thani made the largest individual contribution to UNHCR of USD $43 million.
Part of the donation is aimed at helping create sustainable and dignified conditions for Rohingya refugees and members of the host communities in Cox’s Bazar through CBI interventions.
