The U.S. is distributing millions of masks and infection prevention and control supplies in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS), UNICEF and ShedRain to help Bangladeshi students remain safely in the classroom after one of the longest shut-downs on in-person classes in the world due to COVID-19.

Dhaka, March 16, 2022 — Today, USAID’s Prepare, Ready, Organize, Vaccinate, Advocacy and Support for Health (PROVASH) project is handing over $2.5 million worth of masks and infection prevention and control (IPC) commodities to the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education. Implemented by the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS), PROVASH will distribute more than 2 million masks for children, 60,000 liters of hand sanitizer, 120,000 kilograms of bleaching powder, and 720,000 bars of soap bars to 12,000 government primary schools. Beginning in April, another USAID partner, UNICEF will distribute additional masks and IPC commodities to more than 7000 schools.

USAID Deputy Mission Director Randy Ali joined Director General (Grade-1) of Directorate of Primary Education Alamgir Mohammad Monsurul Alam, and IFRC chief Sanjeev Kafley at a special handover ceremony in Dhaka to present the COVID-19 protection supplies.

“We are proud to partner with the Government of Bangladesh in helping students safely return to their classrooms,” said Ali. “USAID and the American people continue to stand by Bangladesh in fighting the pandemic and we hope this donation will help students, teachers and faculty resume their academic activities more fully.

Kafley added, “Though COVID-19 infection rate has dropped in the last few weeks, there is no place for complacency. Together with BDRCS, we won’t stop providing critical support and relief items to people until the battle against the virus is entirely won and the safety of the most vulnerable people is ensured. As the government reopens the schools, we are distributing protective items such as masks, sanitisers, and soaps so that everyone can stay safe.”

Secretary General of Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, Kazi Shofiqul Azam said, “Through the PROVASH project, we are using our widespread volunteer and staff network to vaccinate students, provide logistical support to transport vaccines to remote areas, and provide critical relief items”.

Joining this effort, ShedRain, a U.S. company along with its Bangladesh sourcing partner NS Sourcing, that makes premium rainwear and umbrellas, has supplied 1.2 million reusable adult masks to teachers and staff in government primary schools to support their return to school.

As a first line of defense during the ongoing pandemic, PROVASH, USAID’s $16.5 million COVID-19 emergency response project, has been working to vaccinate students with USG/COVAX donated Pfizer vaccines approved for use in those 12-17 years of age. To date PROVASH has vaccinated more than 800,000 school students in Dhaka city with a first dose of the vaccine and has fully vaccinated almost 700,000 with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

IFRC, BDRCS, and USAID are proud to partner with the Government of Bangladesh to ensure that the most vulnerable children are able to remain safely in school as we continue working to bring this pandemic under control.