Islamic Development Bank plans to build 180 school-cum-cyclone shelters in coastal areas within a year, IDB President Ahmad Mohamed Ali said yesterday.
The Jeddah-based bank has already constructed 24 buildings under a $130 million project to build such shelters in 40 upazilas of 13 districts.
Ali, a former deputy education minister of Saudi Arabia, opened two school-cum-cyclone shelters at Koyra in Khulna and Sharankhola in Bagerhat on Sunday.
Around 2,000 people and 500 cattle will be able to take shelter at each of the centres with an expected life span of 100 years and resistance of wind speed up to 260 kilometres per hour, the IDB chief said.
Ali, who came to Dhaka on Sunday on a two-day visit, spoke at a press conference at IDB Bhaban in the capital yesterday.
An anonymous philanthropist has donated the fund to the IDB for providing assistance to the victims of cyclone Sidr that devastated southern Bangladesh in 2007.
Of the total fund, $110 million is being used for the construction of the shelters and $20 million for urgent relief in the form of agro inputs.  
The IDB chief said his bank has already disbursed $20 million to four nongovernmental organisations for the rehabilitation and livelihood programme for the victims.
The NGOs—Islami Bank Foundation, Muslim Aid, Voluntary Organisation for Social Development, and Brac—have devised an innovative microcredit programme, Quard Hassan (interest free loans), for the beneficiaries.
The government and IDB signed an agreement in May 2008 for implementing the programme.
At a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday, Ali said the IDB Group will continue to focus on key development initiatives of Bangladesh in energy, urban, agricultural and education sectors, according to a statement.
The Group has so far committed about $3.2 billion for the period of 2013-2016 under “Member Country Partnership Strategy” jointly prepared by Bangladesh government and the IDB.
Ali also said IDB plans to open its group gateway office in Bangladesh in the next few months.
Since inception in 1975, IDB provided development assistance to Bangladesh amounting to more than $15 billion.