Urgent Appeal to Help Dhaka Slum Fire Victims

Dear Friends of DCI,
As many of you may already know, at least 11 people died and many dwellings were burned down when a massive fire tore through the Bou Bazar slum near Dhaka’s Hazaribagh residential area at around 3am on Sunday, Nov 18th. The blaze burned some 700 dwellings to the ground, causing many hundreds to lose both homes and livelihoods. Luckily, DCI stepped in to provide immediate aid and relief to many children and their families in the slum area. DCI field workers are also committed to helping the fire victims to rebuild their homes and community.
DCI field workers are now providing the affected Bou Bazar residents Emergency Survival Kits containing food rations, drinking water, mosquito nets, blankets, warm clothing, and medicine. This emergency distribution has already begun, and will continue in the days ahead as the situation and resident needs are assessed. Our DCI representative, Ms. Selina Iman Shelly, is personally monitoring and supervising the relief effort on-site.

We recognize that at times like this, it is the children who are most vulnerable. As their immediate physical needs are met, DCI is working to restore the children’s emotional well-being and ensure that security, health, and educational needs are addressed.

Click here to see photos from DCI’s relief efforts

The recent devastation in the slum is severe and DCI’s emergency fund is limited. For this reason, we need your support to continue our efforts on behalf of the victims. Please contribute what you can during this critical time to help our short- and longer-term relief efforts for the victims of this slum disaster. We are very grateful for any financial support you can offer for this initiative. I hope that DCI and the slum victims can count on your help.

You can donate now using a credit card through PayPal at our website.

You may also send a check made payable to ‘DCI Emergency Fund’ and mail it to: DCI Emergency Relief Fund 5 Shipton Court Cheshire, CT 06410 USA

On behalf of the children, thank you very much for your support and generosity!

Ehsan Hoque, MBBS, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Distressed Children & Infants Intl. (DCI)

Brian DeBroff, MD, FACS
President, Distressed Children & Infants Intl. (DCI)