Unicef Bangladesh National Ambassador Bidya Sinha Mim is visiting Sylhet this week to meet children whose lives were upended by floods that wreaked havoc in north-eastern Bangladesh in May and June this year.
The extensive flooding led to a food, water and sanitation crisis and disrupted the lives of 7,200,000 people, including 3,500,000 children. Families had no option but to leave their belonging and take emergency shelter while medical facilities and hundreds of schools were damaged, said a press release.
“The stories I heard from children and their parents in Sylhet are heart-rending. They have shown incredible resilience even as their lives have been turned upside down by the floods, and we must continue to stand by them and support their recovery,” said Mim after speaking to children at Gowainghat upazila.
Ten-year-old Najimul, one of the children Mim met, told her: “I did not understand what was happening when the waters started coming into our home. My clothes, books and everything in our home were washed away. I would have been washed away too if we had not left for a school-turned-shelter. I did not eat anything for three or four days until we were given dry food at the shelter.”
Months after the waters receded, millions of families are still reeling from the devastation. Unicef supported the government’s flood emergency response by providing urgent safe water, sanitation, safety, health and nutrition supplies and services, and by prioritizing the protection of children from drowning, separation, violence, diseases and abuse.
To date, more than 1,000,000 people - 40% of whom are children - have benefitted from Unicef’s continuing assistance, added the release.
During her two-day tour, Mim saw first-hand how Unicef contributes to the restoration of flood-damaged latrines, water points, schools and health facilities. Mim also met with social workers who spoke about their support for children and their families after the floods.
“Mim’s visit reminds us that even after the waters recede, children remain at risk from flooding and other emergencies related to climate change in Bangladesh. Today, Mim gives voice to the plight of children who - months after the emergency - are still facing difficulties and need support,” said Mr Sheldon Yett, Unicef Representative to Bangladesh.
Mim, who was appointed as Unicef’s National Ambassador in Bangladesh in May 2022, also visited children and adolescents in Sylhet, including in a tea garden and a Unicef-supported adolescent club.
