This project is intended to offer assistance to the poor through the provision of shawls and blankets to mitigate the effects of the cold weather.

Northern regions of Bangladesh are suffering from severe winter conditions. The cold wave accompanied by northern Himalayan wind hit the country, jeopardizing the normal way of life.

Due to severe cold started from 20 December, so far 121 people have died in the districts of Kurigram, Joypurhat, Pabna, Bogra, Rangpur, Gaibanda, Thakurgaon, Nilphamari and Pabna - most of them are children and elderly people. Experts are predicting 'severe cold waves' in the month of January.

Project Objectives

Project Activities

Islamic Relief is working in partnership with other aid agencies on this projects.

Activities include:

• Providing families with tokens to receive their blankets and shawls;
• Providing local aid agencies with the blankets and shawls so that they can distribute them throughout the 9 districts;
• Liaise with local government.
  

"Islamic Relief is striving for a fairer world. Our mission is to help the poor and needy to live sustainable, self-reliant lives within safe and caring communities. Our work is guided and shaped by the core values of accountability, humanitarianism, neutrality and impartiality, inclusiveness, integrity and co-operation, all of which are also integral to the Islamic faith."
Dr Hany El Banna - Founder of Islamic Relief

Islamic Relief was established in 1984 and our unique approach is the result of these many years of hands-on experience.

1. Where possible we adopt a community partnership-based approach; encouraging community involvement, understanding and ownership of projects.
2. We run the majority of our field projects ourselves, giving us direct insight into the problems faced and how best to solve them.
3. We aim to empower those we help in order to achieve sustainable results.
4. Though our emergency response teams are quick to respond to emergencies around the world, we continue to support communities long after the initial media interest has died down.
5. We recruit staff locally to benefit from their local knowledge. This ensures that we are culturally sensitive and allows us to reach communities and areas other organisations cannot.
6. Where necessary we coordinate our work with other reputable aid agencies, local organisations and governments.

Millennium Development Goals

Islamic Relief is committed to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which have been agreed by the world’s leading development institutions in an effort to meet the needs of the world’s poorest by the year 2015. 

The goals:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental sustainability
8. Develop a global partnership for development

For more information about the MDGs, please visit: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/