Help That Reaches the Poorest in the Country

The proportion of poor women of old age is very high in Bangladesh.

The reasons for this are manifold. Only 32% of all women in Bangladesh have a paid job, so in old age many are dependent on the support of their families. However, this support can be provided by fewer and fewer families as they find themselves on the poverty line.

Therefore, Cap Anamur has taken up the cause of these women who, especially during winter, cannot even afford blankets to keep warm during the cold nights. Because even in Bangladesh, the nights can get cold, especially now. In the districts of Netrokona and Jamalpur, blankets and masks were distributed to particularly poor women and handicapped children in the past few days.

A total of 1250 women and children were reached during the distribution

Mask distribution is especially important during the pandemic. Because this population group cannot afford them either. The pandemic has also led to a further worsening of the situation for poor people. Covid measures have eliminated many families’ sources of income altogether. However, since spacing rules and wearing masks are also among the safety measures, the very poor cannot protect themselves from the virus by not wearing masks.

Cap Anamur has been sewing masks since the beginning of the pandemic in Bangladesh and has been able to distribute more than 150,000 to the poorest people to date

The poorest people are mostly left out of the available COVID vaccines

Only 36% of the population is even fully vaccinated. It can be assumed that the proportion of marginalized people is very high. One of the reasons that the country does not have enough vaccine is the uneven global distribution of Covid vaccines in stock. Developing countries, even through the Covax facility established by WHO to distribute vaccine equitably, have not received enough and cannot implement vaccination campaigns across the country. And in the country itself, unfortunately, the limited amount of vaccine is not reaching the vulnerable populations.
The chance of vaccination is a long way off for them.

Through our program of medical care for the poorest in the country, our team on the ground has a good overview of those in need in the various regions. When the temperatures in Netrokona and Jamalpur dropped significantly at the beginning of the year, our team took direct action and cared for the elderly people who were particularly affected.

For years, we have been keeping a close eye on this vulnerable group in particular, and we are targeting our help there.