ATLANTA – Through its partnership with the Baptist World Alliance, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship announced a $5,000 donation to assist people in Bangladesh affected by flooding, which left more than 400 people dead and millions more homeless.

Across Bangladesh and eastern India, the annual monsoon rainy season has been the worst in more than a decade. Reuters news service reports more than 1,720 people have died from drowning, snakebites and disease since July 1 in the region.

In the capital city of Dhaka, residents either waded through submerged streets or took boats to work, following the flooding that forced more than 100,000 people there to cram into shelters.

As the flood waters receded, the lack of clean drinking water and contaminated wells caused a sharp spike in waterborne diseases, particularly diarrhea. Officials estimated in August that more than 140,000 had become ill and reported over 70 deaths.

To assist with the cleanup, recovery and humanitarian aid, Baptist World Aid, the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance, has committed $20,000 to purchase some much-needed relief supplies. The Fellowship’s $5,000 donation will support this effort.

"CBF does not have field personnel in Bangladesh, but the people certainly deserve our attention," said David Harding, the Fellowship’s director of emergency response. "This is an opportunity for us to use our new channel of touching these people through our membership in the Baptist World Alliance. Through Baptist World Aid, we can help strengthen the response of the local Baptist churches in desperate situations such as these."

CBF is a fellowship of Baptist Christians and churches who share a passion for the Great Commission and a commitment to Baptist principles of faith and practice. The Fellowship’s mission is to serve Christians and churches as they discover and fulfill their God-given mission.