The Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA) rules state that organisations have to have a minimum of 50 lakh taka to keep the projects open. As NS does not have such large amounts of money, all three Revolving Loan Programmes (RLP) have had to close, with a loss of 9 lakh taka still out on loan.

All the employees of Nijera Shikhi have been laid off due to the closing of the three revolving Loan programmes in Jessore and Satkhira, the toll of Coronavirus, and the closing of the office in Dhaka.

Alongside educational institutions and offices, everything except hospitals, drug stores and some large supermarkets, are closed. Those able to store food have gathered the necessary food and other items to last for a while, but the poor, needy and daily-labouring class of people are struggling to gather what they need. These grassroots people are suffering a great deal as they can’t earn any money during the lockdown. The virus is spreading gradually, and the number of affected people and deaths is doubling everyday. Nijera Shikhi has been trying to help by distributing food to poor people on the street.


Raden Siddiqui, Suraiya’s son, has been working with a medical company and hospital, which is also a renowned medical research centre, and also one of the oldest NGO’s ( Non- Governmental Organisations) of Bangladesh (Gono Shastho Kendra, GSK). Raden is working with his brother-in-law, who is a microbiologist - to create and manufacture medicines and tests kits for the people of Bangladesh.


Professor Suraiya Siddiqui also reports that the children were doing really well at the John P Hastings School, with a 100% pass rate for the primary exam, and that all these children had got places at a secondary school. The other five classes – pre-primary to class 4 - were going on regularly and well - before becoming locked down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

We are very happy that our 100% students passed in the PEC Exams (Primary Education Certificate) under Bangladesh Government. They have already been admitted to different Secondary Schools, so we are very happy that our school programme is continuing smoothly. The mothers are also very happy with the result of their children’s performance.
Also In 2019 14 mothers were trained in sewing skills on a 6 month sewing programme. They were very poor people, and very happy to have new skills and a free sewing machine, donated by another charity in Bangladesh.