Cyclone Cidr hit Bangladesh on November 15, killing over 3,000 people, devastating the southwestern part of the country, and leaving over a million homeless. The Bangladesh government employed an effective grassroots warning system that saved many lives but the country now has to cope with an imminent food emergency as massive amounts of crops were destroyed.

UUSC is saddened by the loss of family, home, and community many Bangladeshis are facing. We have been in contact with some of our sister organizations in the region with whom we work closely in emergency situations. We feel at this time that those organizations, which have operations in Bangladesh staffed by Bangladeshis, are best suited to respond effectively to this emergency.

We recommend that our constituents who wish to support the people of Bangladesh donate to two of these organizations in particular, Oxfam America  and ActionAid. Like UUSC, both organizations focus on the impact of gender and class divisions on people’s access to assistance in emergency situations.