BSS-32 6 humanitarian agencies join forces to help tackle COVID-19 in Bangladesh

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ZCZC

BSS-32

COVID19-HUMANITARIAN-AGENCIES

6 humanitarian agencies join forces to help tackle COVID-19 in Bangladesh

DHAKA, April 30, 2020 (BSS) – Six leading humanitarian agencies in
Bangladesh have joined forces to help Bangladesh overcome the formidable
challenge of COVID-19.

The consortium of Plan International Bangladesh, Save the Children, CARE
Bangladesh, Oxfam, World Vision and Caritas Bangladesh plans to contain the
spread of COVID-19 through increasing health services and improving access of
vulnerable communities to water, sanitation and hygiene programmes, a joint
press release said here today.

It is a huge concern for vulnerable communities in Bangladesh – including
the Rohingya population living in overcrowded camps and host communities in
Cox’s Bazar, and the people living in the disaster-prone areas in the
country.

More than 1.3 million people are in need of aid in Cox’s Bazar, including
the Rohingyas and 444,000 in host communities.

Although no cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the camps, congested
and unhygienic living conditions, limited access to clean water and hygiene
materials, as well as lack of adequate health facilities have increased the
potential for the rapid spread of the disease – both in the camps and in host
communities.

Experts are concerned about a dual emergency, as the monsoon season
approaches. Floods or cyclones combined with the emergence of deadly COVID-19
will cause a ‘crisis within a crisis’ and hasten the spread of the virus.

With the funding from the Australian government, all the six humanitarian
agencies have been distinctly operating long-term development and
humanitarian programmes in Bangladesh and have recently pivoted to responding
to COVID-19 in the region.

The aid agencies are focused on the prevention of the disease, by raising
community awareness, distributing of hygiene kits, promoting hygiene and hand
washing practices, installing clean water points, distributing cash and
vouchers, promoting positive parenting and special care for the elderly and
persons with disability, child protection, sexual and reproductive health
services and distributing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

To reduce the potential impact of COVID19 in vulnerable communities, Plan
International Bangladesh has allocated $530,000 AUD (BDT 29 million) to
support 72,000 people, in particular – children, girls, young women, the
elderly, people living with chronic illness, and people living with
disabilities in Cox’s Bazar and Kurigram districts- with cash distribution,
distant education, child protection, distribution of hygiene kits and PPEs,
dissemination of awareness messages and also case management programme
specifically in Rohingya camps.

Save the Children has planned to deliver COVID-19 response activities worth
$500,000 AUD (BDT 27 million) to 47,000 Rohingya refugees and their host
population including the running and staffing of seven health centres, and
implementing Community Case Management programs, while CARE Bangladesh’s
efforts have reached around 12,000 people under the current projects funded
by the Australian government.

Oxfam has already planned to allocate around $272,000 AUD (BDT 15 million)
to support 30 thousand Rohingyas in the camp during the COVID-19 outbreak.

World Vision Bangladesh has also planned to allocate $500,000 AUD (BDT 27
million) to extend COVID19 prevention support to 26,965 Rohingyas and the
host community.

Caritas allocated about $400,000 AUD (BDT 22.24 million) to conduct
community awareness, distribute hand sanitizers, masks, disinfectants and
PPEs; promote hand-washing facilities and hygiene practices; provide
unconditional cash and support the health systems.

All six aid agencies are scaling up the activities in a three-year
consortium programme of $44 million AUD supported by the Australian
government and implemented through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership,
which will meet the humanitarian and protection needs, the joint press
release said.

BSS/PR/MRI/KU/1818 HRS