NetHope Engages Members and Donors for Bangladesh Relief

Communities in Bangladesh continue to suffer in the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr.  This category 4 storm, with winds in excess of 155 miles per hour, slammed into Bangladesh last Friday with terrifying fury.  CNN reports that the death toll is expected to rise to 15,000; other agencies place it much higher.  CNN also reports over 280,000 families evacuated from homes that are severely damaged or destroyed. The Telegraph is reporting some 7 million lives have been left devastated by the cyclone. Ground based communications infrastructure is completely wiped out in many regions, making damage assessments uncertain, relief aid slow to arrive and the emergency needs uncertain.  

In the absence of terrestrial infrastructure, NetHope members have an immediate and urgent need for satellite based communication solutions to help curb this unfolding humanitarian crisis.  NetHope is seeking $250,000 to acquire, maintain and service satellite communication solutions for its members on the ground including ActionAid, Catholic Relief Services, Oxfam, Plan International, Red Cross, Save the Children and World Vision.  This will assist them in providing emergency food, shelter, drinking water and more, to the impacted people of Bangladesh.  Any leftover materials would be used for future emergencies.

NetHope leadership is reaching out to a small group of corporate supporters to provide the funding needed.  A $25,000 to $50,000 donation from five to seven of NetHope’s generous supporters will allow NetHope to acquire:

- Four to six Network Relief Kits (NRKs) including BGAN satellite technology
- Three to five months of satellite airtime and usage fees
- Technical support teams to operate the equipment and train field workers to do so themselves
- VSAT solutions for longer-term, higher bandwidth satellite communications