Christian outreaches in Bangladesh appeal for help in difficult winter

Caritas Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Christian Association are calling for help from home and abroad in their work to to assist people suffering amidst severe winter weather in the country.

Bangladesh has experienced long stretches of colder-than-usual temperatures this year, according to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, which has recorded low temperatures of roughly 6 degrees Celsius this season.

The season’s temperatures in Bangladesh are not the lowest on record – that was 2.6 degrees Celsius in 2018 – but protracted spells with more to come, especially in northern districts susceptible of cold air from the Himalayas, have put a strain on resources.

People in the Rajshahi and Dinajpur dioceses in northern Bangladesh are also significantly affected by winter and winter-related diseases as a result.

The director of Caritas Dinajpur, Robi Mardy, told Crux his organization is already at work.

“We have distributed about 1500 blankets and are ready to distribute another 3,000 on behalf of Caritas Dinajpur region,” Mardy said, adding Caritas is “trying to contact various individuals and organizations for winter clothes.”

Mardy told Crux help is welcome from every quarter, local or from abroad.

“What we are giving is not enough for this huge population,” he said, “especially the poor indigenous people, so we need more help.”

In addition to Caritas, other Christian organizations and individuals are also coming forward to help the cold-stricken people.

The Bangladesh Christian Association (BCA) has made an appeal for help for the cold-stricken people through social media.

Founded in 1967, four years before Bangladesh became an independent nation, the BCA is the largest Christian body in the country, with more than 100 offices in the nation of over 173 million people and another dozen offices around the world.

The Association’s president, Nirmal Rozario, said the intensity of the cold is making itself felt more and more each day, and poor people of the country’s northern parts especially are having a very hard time.

There are grassroots efforts working to meet the need, as well.

Since 2015, a volunteer organization led by Sagar Sanjib Corraya has been distributing winter clothes and educational materials to tribals including in the northern region, taking winter clothes and financial support from various people.

“This year, we have distributed new blankets, new clothes to at least three places,” Corraya told Crux. “We do these voluntary works with old clothes and financial support from people,” he said, “because people suffer a lot in winter and many cannot buy new clothes.”