Bangladesh has always lived with water. The monsoon feeds its fields and shapes its villages, and every so often floodwaters leave homes, possessions and livelihoods damaged in their wake. Emergency relief may address the immediate need, but for affected families, recovery continues long after the water recedes.
Over 12 years in Bangladesh, Daraz has built a nationwide ecosystem connecting customers, sellers and communities across the country. That presence has also shaped how the company approaches support for communities affected by natural disasters, extending its role beyond immediate emergency assistance.
This approach informed Daraz's response to this year's monsoon floods in Moulvibazar in Sylhet and in Satkania and Banshkhali in Chattogram.
The company committed approximately $30,000, around Tk36 lakh, to a multi-phase program covering three areas, essential relief for more than 900 families, targeted rehabilitation support for households identified as requiring further assistance, and flood-safety awareness for a further 1,000 families.
The relief packages, containing dry food, hygiene essentials and first-aid items, were the first step.
The program then moved into a more targeted rehabilitation phase. Alongside the distribution, Daraz volunteers spoke with affected families to assess the extent of damage and identify households requiring additional support. Those households received assistance based on their individual needs, including roofing sheets and bamboo for repairing damaged shelters, bedding and mosquito nets, cooking stoves and utensils, and safe-drinking-water supplies.
Kamrul Hasan, chief commercial officer of Daraz Bangladesh, said: "Daraz is part of many families' everyday lives, and when those families face a disaster, standing beside them is our responsibility. Relief is where we begin, and helping people rebuild is what we are committed to."
The people doing the work were Daraz's own. 20 colleagues from 5 department volunteered, sorting supplies, travelling to the affected areas and listening to families. "Our colleagues are members of these communities too," said Syed Abdullah Morshed, Chief People Officer of Daraz Bangladesh. "Participation was voluntary, and colleagues chose to give their time to support affected families directly. Their involvement reflects the sense of responsibility our people feel towards the communities in which we operate."
On the ground, project coordinator Sayem Hossain led the assessment work. "In Satkania and Banshkhali, we walked through neighbourhoods where the water had gone but its marks were everywhere, mud lines high on the walls, tin roofs and bamboo fences bent or washed away, bedding and cooking pots lost," he said. "The families were not asking for much. They wanted a livable place to sleep, a roof they could trust and something to cook on. We sat in courtyards and asked each family what they had lost. Some homes needed a new roof, others needed only bedding. Deciding who needed help most was hard, because everyone had lost something."
This is not Daraz's first response to a natural disaster. In 2024, the company reached more than 85,000 flood-affected people across multiple districts. While that response focused on providing immediate assistance at scale, this year's program introduces a more targeted rehabilitation component.
For Daraz Bangladesh, the program reflects a broader shift from responding only to the immediate consequences of a disaster to supporting recovery and preparedness as well.
For the families in Moulvibazar, Satkania and Banshkhali, that means support extending beyond the distribution of emergency supplies to rebuilding homes, restoring basic household needs and helping communities prepare for future flooding.