Emergency Relief

RAPID RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS

Our partners have responded to an unparalleled situation this year with the utmost agility and ingenuity. They worked around coronavirus restrictions to deliver over 12,500 food parcels to severely affected households and saw how initiatives like microloans, savings groups and Child Protection Teams enabled thousands of households to withstand the worst circumstances.

INDIA

In India, thanks to support from our donors, we provided 7,420 food parcels including rice, lentils, oil and soap, to struggling households during lockdown, and conducted extensive campaigns on hand washing and how to prevent the virus spreading in the areas where we work.

350 people in the communities most adversely affected by COVID restrictions were provided with blankets, clothes, household resources, educational support and medical help. Priority was given to those people with physical disabilities, women headed households, and those who had suffered a recent death in the family.

Women’s Groups directly increased the resilience of nearly 1,000 families throughout lockdown, inspiring 490 new membership applications from friends and neighbours.

BANGLADESH

In Bangladesh, we provided emergency food parcels to 3,000 households in Cox's Bazar who were struggling during lockdown.

Permission to break lockdown restrictions for food distribution was negotiated with the Bangladeshi government over a tense couple of weeks. Each parcel contained rice, pulses, oil, salt, sugar, semolina and soap, enough to last a family about a month.

As soon as lockdown began, Kutupalong refugee camp was closed.

Only staff from medical NGOs and the World Food Programme were allowed in. Thankfully, this has meant the one million refugees have received food supplies and had very little exposure to the outside world. We focused on creating awareness videos about preventing the spread of the virus, which together with teacher input helped to dispel myths about the pandemic.

MYANMAR

Our partners worked with the Emergency Response Team to build awareness of the virus and how to stay safe, installing hand washing stations in the camps where we work.

Every year in Myanmar, we provide warm clothes and shoes for the young children who attend our Early Childhood Development Centres to help them manage in the poor seasonal weather when it gets very cold and very wet and muddy. Raincoats and wellington boots were provided to 440 children and 412 children were also provided with warm clothes including jackets, trousers, hats, boots and socks.

UGANDA

In Uganda, food parcels were delivered to families who were struggling during lockdown. 100 elderly-headed households received a parcel every fortnight during in Jinja and 188 parcels were delivered to households in Kyaka II refugee settlement.

LEBANON

In Lebanon, our partners delivered food for over 1,000 Lebanese and Syrian refugee families struggling through lockdown.

In the midst of the pandemic we also contributed to the work of our partners in the aftermath of the Beirut blast, providing emergency supplies to 750 affected families and repairs to 520 damaged homes.