RANGPUR, June 17, 2020 (BSS) – A total of 42 ‘Hijra’ community people received 24-kg of foodstuffs sufficient for one month at a function held in the city on Tuesday afternoon in the wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Rangpur Drop-in-Centre (DIC) of Light House arranged the function at its office under management of the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR, B) with financial assistance of donor organisation German Doctors.
Divisional Director (Health) Dr. Amin Ahmed Khan distributed the foodstuffs in the function arranged strictly maintaining physical distancing as the chief guest with Rangpur DIC Manager of Light House Mohammad Sahabul Islam in the chair.
Each of the beneficiary ‘Hijra’ people received a sac containing foodstuffs including 12 kg of rice, four kg of potato and two each of lentil, edible oil, iodized salt and onions.
Assistant Director (Human Resource Development and Administration) of the Light House at its Head Office in Dhaka Faruk Hossain, Programme Specialist of the Global Fund Project of Light House Mizanur Rahman and Programme Manager of its Urban Primary Health Care Project Abdur Rahim Suman were present.
On the occasion, Faruk Hossain said Light House so far distributed foodstuffs for a month among 1,210 ‘Hijra’ people of Rangpur, Barishal, Khulna, Rajshahi and Dhaka division to beside them amid COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Light House has a plan to distribute similar foodstuffs among 2,250 more ‘Hijra’ people of these divisions across the country to assist them in tackling the unprecedented situation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.
The chief guest urged the minority transgender ‘Hijra’ community people and every citizen for strictly abiding by the health directives of the government, wearing masks and maintaining physical distance to prevent community transmission of coronavirus.