Feni Flash Flood ResponseCOAST opens community kitchen for 23K hot meals for flood victims in Feni

Cooking is impossible when the soil is under water. COAST Foundation introduced Community Kitchen to cook and provide hot meals to Feni's flood-affected people in the shelters.

On Tuesday night (3rd September), nearly 400 people who took shelter in Abdul Karim High School at Dagonbhuiyan Upazila received the most desired hot meals from Coast Foundation.

A 10-member team of COAST skilled in shelter management distributes the meals with 7 locally hired kitchen staff. A shelter management committee also supported them.

Under a partnership with Start Fund Bangladesh, COAST distributed cooked food to 1,400 people in 8 shelters. In the last seven days they have distributed 23,000 food packets so far.

COAST Executive Director M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury was present on the spot to observe the kitchen and distribution of the food along with some senior officials of Coast Foundation.

The team led by the executive director interacted with the flood-affected people who took shelter in the schools. Firstly, they checked the quality of the distributed food, bread, milk and other items. Then, a designated team distributed the food to 400 people including children.

It was really a full and inspirational evening for the Coast's team. "After facing an unexpected flood disaster, we believe that getting this assistance is the right for these flood-affected people. It is not a charity or generosity of someone from above," said Rezaul K Chowdhury.

Local administration in Feni district, already restored electricity, mobile network and main supply chain road in a very speedy way in the district. Not a single minutes load shedding was occurred in Feni town for the last 48 hours.

COAST Foundation first started the 'hot meal with community kitchen' programme in several areas with their own fund. Now, 'Start Fund Bangladesh' has joined with them.

From the very beginning of the flood disaster, COAST field staff has engaged in emergency rescues and relief programs in Feni and Noakhali districts. Besides, COAST provides dry food packages distribution in shelter centres.

During the flood, COAST supported two local NGOs (OPCA and PRAN) from Noakhali to engage them in urgent relief and rescue work with dry food and bottled water and saline in the shelters.

COAST initially provided BDT 800,000 (Eight hundred thousand taka only) for the relief works and plan to support more if needed. COAST is communicating with some donor agencies for large scale of support for the flood-affected people.

COAST Executive Director M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury is coordinating everything from the central office, Dhaka. Besides, some senior staff are supporting the field team to respond to the crisis-affected people.

COAST Foundation working in Feni, Noakhali & Lakhsmipur with their core program (ie, micro finance, people organization etc) for more than fifteen years.