DFBY Foundation Responds to Devastating Floods in Kurigram: Urgent Need for Disaster Relief

Donate for Bhurungamari Youth Foundation (DFBY Foundation), a leading non-profit organization dedicated to community development and disaster response, is on the front lines of the ongoing flood crisis in Kurigram, Bangladesh. Our team has witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by the floods, with countless families displaced, livelihoods destroyed, and communities struggling to survive.

Floods in Kurigram: A Dire Situation

The floods in Kurigram have left a trail of destruction, impacting hundreds of thousands of people. Homes have been submerged, crops destroyed, and essential infrastructure damaged. Many families have been forced to seek refuge in makeshift shelters, with limited access to food, clean water, and sanitation.

DFBY Foundation’s Disaster Response Efforts

The people of Kurigram are not well. From Bhuruungamari to Nageshwari, Kurigram Sadar to Ulipur, Chilmari, and the chars of Roumari, people are starving for food, clean water, and essential medicines. In most places, there is not even a place to cook. My team and I rushed to the chars of Bhuruungamari and Nageshwari upazilas in Kurigram district.

We started our journey from Paikdanga char and went to Char Baruitari, Chowdhury Bazar, Char Dhauriyakuti, Char Luchni, Char Damalgram, Kutir Char, Fander Char, Aynal Ghat, Jamat Ujanir Char, and finally Char Balarampur. We started our journey at noon after packaging the relief goods and finished distributing them to about 300 families in so many chars by 1 a.m. Our team was caught in heavy rain in the middle of the river around midnight.

In some cases, you will not be able to enter the houses in the char areas by boat, and in other cases, you will be able to. This is clear when you look at the structure of the char. The water level in the river chars is usually low. So it is possible to take big boats near the houses. Then you have to walk or go by small dinghy boats. In some cases, we walked through knee-deep water or took a dinghy boat from a big boat, and in some cases, we went directly to the houses with our big relief boat. A common thing is seen as soon as our boat reaches these chars. People from the surrounding areas come near our boat by raft or swimming. Can you imagine how helpless a person can be to bring their 5-month-old child on a raft to get this relief? They came to us.

We have also found char areas in Kurigram where the water has been stuck for the past month. Someone broke down their house and hastily moved it to a higher place. By a cruel twist of fate, water entered that house too. Most of the people in the char areas of Kurigram have been trapped in water for the past 10 days, some even since after Eid. Yet they are unable to cook, and no one has come to them with relief assistance. They have not received any government assistance. Only 5% of these two lakh waterlogged people have received government relief assistance, and that too only 10 kg of rice. But they are not in a position to cook that rice! Even these 5% are those whose houses are near the upazila headquarters. It is said that public representatives cannot be found in remote char areas.

In some places, we found 6-7 families in higher places. But no relief assistance has reached there either. They are living in high places with their cows, goats, ducks, and chickens. They do not have enough food to feed these domesticated animals and birds. We have seen many cows and goats floating dead in the river. It is not possible to express the cries and sufferings of people through a post like this. An old man from a poor char area, over 70 years old, has no place to live. Yet, as his house is a little higher, he has given shelter to about 5-6 families. There is only water around. He can give shelter, but we can do nothing but watch the hourly updates of the flood situation on the news or social media.

Be a little humane. This world is temporary. You have to leave this place empty-handed. Millions of people in your country are spending their days like this without food and sleep. Stand by them. This is our call to you for the flood-affected helpless people of Kurigram. The 300 or 500 or 1000 or 2000 families we have reached are nothing. Thousands of families have been left out. We have seen their cries from the front. But there was nothing to do. Because we don’t have that ability. So if anyone wants to stand by these families from afar, they can contact us. We can participate in this distribution program with you. We have everything including safety equipment.

Let’s stand by the flood-affected people of Kurigram.

How You Can Help

Your support is crucial in our efforts to provide relief and assistance to the people of Kurigram. There are several ways you can make a difference:

Donate: Your financial contribution will enable us to purchase and distribute essential supplies, provide medical care, and support long-term recovery efforts.
Volunteer: If you are in the Kurigram area, consider volunteering your time and skills to support our relief efforts.
Spread the Word: Share our message on social media and with your networks to raise awareness about the crisis and encourage others to get involved.

Together, We Can Make a Difference

The floods in Kurigram have caused immense suffering, but we believe that together, we can make a difference. With your support, DFBY Foundation can continue to provide vital assistance to those in need and help communities recover and rebuild.

DFBY Foundation

A Frontline Disaster Responder