Brac has started production of over 200,000 pieces of reusable masks for community use with its hygienic domestic production method, as part of the organization's extensive campaign to fight Covid-19.
The organization is also currently examining the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) and hopes to go into production very soon.
BRAC Executive Director Asif Saleh said: "We are rapidly expanding our capacity for effectively responding to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to operating mass awareness campaigns reaching millions of people, we have now started production of protective clothing.”
“While we are manufacturing protective masks, we are also exploring and building our capacity to manufacture PPE in our country. Once our production process is perfected following scientific standards and standardized material, we hope to go into large scale production. We then want to partner with BGMEA and other entities concerned under the government's guidance,” he added.
Over 50,000 frontline healthcare providers of Brac have started to implement its extensive awareness raising campaign to reach millions of people in 61 districts of Bangladesh to prevent the spread of Covid-19 along with distributing protective hygiene products.
Brac has also stopped collecting instalments from its microloan borrowers from March 24 to April 2.
Additionally, they are running an extensive campaign in the Rohingya camps and host communities in Cox's Bazar and distributing soap bars and other necessary materials.
In urban slums and public hotspots, Brac has set up hand washing stations and is undertaking a disinfecting campaign on public transport in partnership with city corporations.
So far, more than 8,500 BRAC staff have been provided with specific orientation on Covid-19 prevention and self protection measures, enabling them to lead the community awareness campaign at the grassroots level.
More than 170,000 participants and clients of Brac's development programs have been briefed to strengthen their respective community efforts to prevent an outbreak of the disease.
Over 2.5 million leaflets and 500 thousand stickers with messages have been delivered door to door. In addition to that, 7,670 units of hygiene products, such as liquid soap, sanitizers and soap bars, and 17,932 units of protective wear, including masks and gloves were distributed among communities and frontline BRAC staff.
As a partner of the Bangladesh government's Covid-19 response plan, Brac is working jointly with local administrations and the government.
Brac staff have handed information, education, and communication (IEC) materials to the offices of deputy commissioners, upazila nirbahi officers, and civil surgeons. All local offices of BRAC are displaying large banners with messages of respiratory hygiene, social distancing, coughing etiquette, and hand washing.
The corporation’s digital media campaign with experts and celebrities has reached over 4 million people and it is about to start a mass media campaign on fighting coronavirus from Thursday.
Responding to Brac's call, several organizations have joined to undertake collaborative efforts to fight against the novel coronavirus.
The Department for International Development (DFID), the UK government's overseas aid agency, has agreed to work with Brac to comprehensively combat the Covid-19 disease through short and long-term solutions.
BRAC has enrolled 5 doctors to assist the Directorate General of Health Services to support the ongoing hotline services to identify and assist Covid-19 patients.
The partnership between the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) and BRAC is currently functional. On March 22, twenty doctors from Brac joined to assist the hotline services of IEDCR.
Brac is also partnering with Psychosocial Health and Wellness Centre (PHWC) and Kaan Pete Roi, in launching a nationwide tele counselling platform soon, titled "Kaan Pete Roi," for persons in distress, owing to the panic created by the pandemic.
Reiterating the importance of more collaborations to fight the pandemic, Asif Saleh said: "We are left with no alternative at this moment but to raise more joint efforts. While we are happy to see our government, donors, businesses, and development partners coming forward, we will continue to explore more such opportunities.
He urged the public to pay attention to government warnings and to avoid travel and maintain social distance.
