COVID-19 Relief for Rohingya Refugees and IDPs
Location: Bangladesh and Myanmar
Project Background
Women’s Peace Network is continuing its efforts to support and advocate for Myanmar’s most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rohingya refugees and internally displaced persons are more vulnerable than ever and face enormous health and safety risks. According to UNHCR, 860,175 Rohingya are currently displaced in Bangladeshi refugee camps and host communities due to the ethnic cleansing in Rakhine State. Refugee camps are crowded and often lack the basic sanitation needs and during this global pandemic, refugees are left incredibly vulnerable. Refugees have limited access to protective equipment against COVID-19 and water scarcity makes basic hygiene and disease-prevention incredibly challenging. This project will prioritize widows as well as elderly women and men, who are the most vulnerable among those displaced. These target groups are less mobile than others in the camp, and therefore have less access to necessary sanitary products. WPN is working with local partners to identify these target groups and ensure the safe and secure delivery of life-saving items. Displaced Rohingya are in need of sanitation products, specifically masks and hand sanitizer, to help protect themselves against the spread of COVID-19 in the camps. Our primary goal is to provide Rohingya refugees and IDPs with the necessary, life-saving equipment to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in the camps.
Approach
Women’s Peace Network (WPN) is taking a multi-sectoral approach to engaging with vulnerable communities affected by ongoing conflicts in Myanmar, specifically the Rohingya who have been forcibly displaced either internally in Myanmar or to the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. WPN believes empowering the community and enhancing agency is the most sustainable way to address marginalization and discrimination. WPN conducts teacher training, language courses, and vocational & technical training for women living in refugee camps. They work closely with local organizations and communities to ensure the needs of the most vulnerable are addressed and supported. They prioritize marginalized persons and focus on targeting immediate needs while developing sustainable solutions to develop agency within communities.
Project Impact
Already facing incredible challenges in the camps, Rohingya refugees and IDPs are now facing the life-threatening COVID-19 pandemic and remain incredibly vulnerable. Communicable diseases and viruses flourish in overcrowded, unsanitary environments like refugee camps. With WPN’s provision of masks and hand sanitizer, they aim to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in these densely populated refugee and IDP camps. With greater protection against the virus, vulnerable populations will be more likely to endure the pandemic and continue to survive the harsh conditions of refugee and IDP camps. If vulnerable groups, widows and elderly women & men, have increased protection against the pandemic, they will be more likely to continue to support themselves and their families without the increased risk of leaving their homes or needing to compromise their health to acquire masks and hand sanitizers.
Project Partner:
Women’s Peace Network
News on COVID-19 Relief for Rohingya Refugees and IDPs:
