Rockflower’s funding of the Women’s Peace Network’s project to provide COVID-19 Relief for Rohingya Refugees and IDPs has begun in earnest.
In late August, 1,000 kits for COVID-19 protection were distributed to elderly women, widows and orphaned girls in refugee camps in Bangladesh. Each kit included: 2 reusable face masks, 2 bottles of hand sanitizer, 1 large towel, a scarf, 1 kg of flour, and 2 kg of sticky rice.
The kits were well received as the items differ from what other NGOs are supplying the refugees with.
“This is the first time that I am going to eat sticky rice* since I fled from Myanmar three years ago. I have never received a donation like this before.”
*Sticky rice is one of the most popular breakfast foods among Rohingya.
Another beneficiary said she was happy to receive the flour and protection kit so that she could make traditional foods during the holy days. One beneficiary who is only 17, was very grateful for this support as she was running from the prospect of a forced marriage and as yet had not received help from any other source. There is a great deal of work to be done to ensure that those living in such dire conditions are given as continued support.
