Dear friends,

We hope you are well during this terrible pandemic. We extend our condolences to everyone who has lost friends or family members to COVID-19. We wanted to provide an update on the situation in Bangladesh and to ask for your support.

The novel coronavirus has killed and is currently affecting many people we know in Bangladesh, especially in urban areas. The virus has also started to spread in rural areas. Testing and treatment are very limited. After several weeks of lockdown, many businesses and programs have reopened in Bangladesh as of June 1, 2020, including Samhati’s empowerment programs in Laksmichamp Union, Natore, and Katakhali. The villagers cannot survive under continuous lockdown and are slowly resuming some activities. In all our programs, we are trying to educate everyone on hand-washing and social distancing and wearing masks. This is not easy, as there is no running water in some of our program locations.

During the lockdown, Samhati organized a mask-sewing program in Katakhali, and distributed over 400 masks to community members and their families. Our medical clinic in Katakhali has remained open, but most calls are handled by phone and we have tried to provide adequate protective equipment for clinic workers. We are continuing to make and distribute masks and to educate people on their use. In order to be able to help people with COVID-19 symptoms, we need to purchase supplies such as thermal temperature scanner, pulse oxymeters, oxygen tanks, and PPE for clinic staff.

Our community members in all three locations have been hard hit by the coronavirus lockdown, as they have been unable to work or run their small businesses. We received the following request from the Laksmichamp program coordinator: “Disadvantaged families are experiencing food insecurity. Most of our income-generating initiatives for women have been damaged during the lockdown. Government grant support is insufficient. If possible, we need emergency support for the families here.” The Samhati board met via Zoom and decided to provide a small grant of 1,000 takas (around $12) per family for the approximately 500 families in our programs. We are planning to immediately send the money and would like to raise $5,000 for a special coronavirus relief fund.

You can donate to this coronavirus relief fund by using a credit card or mailing us a check. Follow this link for credit card donations.
Or send a check payable to “Samhati” and mail to:

Samhati
13107 Laneview Ct.
Oak Hill, VA 20171, USA

Regarding our fundraisers this year, we canceled our spring tea due to the pandemic, and our fall fundraiser will likely be an online event in early October. We will send you details as they develop.

Thanks so much for your continued support. Please stay safe and wear a mask when you go out!

The Samhati Board of Directors (Rumana, Monica, Jhinuk, Cima, Sudipa, Roquia, Nellie, Shaan and Alema)

June 10, 2020

Dear Friends of Samhati:

We hope that, even in the midst of this pandemic, you are feeling energized by the wave of protests and gatherings around the world in response to the horrific murder of George Floyd at the hands of the police.  Samhati, a social justice organization devoted to empowering low-income women and families in Bangladesh, condemns anti-Black racism and police brutality and expresses solidarity with the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd and the countless others who have lost their lives due to anti-Black racism. We hesitated to write this letter because we do not have staff or programs in the US, but in the end we decided that we should share our thoughts.

Racial injustice is not new in America. Hundreds of years of slavery, subjugation, inequalities, brutalities, systemic racism, and explicit biases have brought us to where we are. All of us who are not Black need to do more to recognize our implicit biases and bring about change.  

To help build a bridge of understanding, we need to educate ourselves about social injustice, dehumanization, false accusations, disproportionate imprisonment, institutional racism, and the Black experience. While Samhati’s work is in Bangladesh, we would like to share some resources with our community here in the US:

–As a starting point for learning how systemic racism operates in the US, here is a suggested reading list.  

— This article is a resource on how South Asians can work toward anti-racism.

— This article discusses alternatives to calling the police.

— We encourage you to sign the Color of Change petition and to give input to your local government on reducing the police budget, increasing community services, reforming police practices, and protecting protestors and their First Amendment rights. Here is a Washington Post article that explains the need to reduce our reliance on police.

Samhati means “solidarity.” We stand in solidarity with the Black community. We believe that #BlackLivesMatter.

Thank you for your continued support of Samhati and our programs. Let’s all get to work to end racism and build a more just world for everyone.

In solidarity,
The Samhati Directors and Advisors

Image credit: Amy Morse.