Aller au contenu principal

Food for the Hungry records highest surge in COVID-19 cases in its Rohingya camp clinic since the pandemic began

Pays
Bangladesh
+ 1
Sources
Food for the Hungry
Date de publication

The organization’s COVID-19 dedicated facility occupancy has increased from 13% to 84% in the last week of May.

Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh (June 9, 2021) – International humanitarian organization Food for the Hungry (FH) has seen the highest surge in COVID-19 cases in its Rohingya camp clinic since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020. By the end of May, the occupancy of FH’s COVID-19 dedicated facility had increased from 13 per cent on May 17 to 84 per cent on May 26. The prognosis of refugees is further affected by environmental factors within the camps such as poor camp-setting conditions, lack of access to clean water, proper sanitation, and stable livelihoods.

In response, FH has mobilized a plan of action increasing critical staff numbers for the facilities dedicated to COVID-19 care. These include medical professionals such as doctors and nurses, and critical support staff such as sanitation experts. According to figures from FH’s April field report, 58,799 people were visited by a community healthcare worker (CHW) to gauge willingness and offer education around the vaccine. CHW’s household visits and workshop sessions are a critical precursor to FH’s upcoming vaccination campaign.

Novita Lenahatu, FH's Chief of Party for the Joint Rohingya Refugee Response, said “The devastation that COVID-19 can bring to Rohingya camp residents is unimaginable, and calls for unity and collaboration. We cannot do everything by ourselves, partnership is crucial. We are working tirelessly alongside our partners to provide necessary aid to those in need.”

In May 2020, alongside UNHCR and Medical Teams International (MTI), FH opened the first COVID-19 Isolation Treatment Center in the Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Bangladesh. The center was dedicated to isolation and treatment of severe acute respiratory infections. Medical Teams International and FH have been in the front lines offering aid to refugees in the camp since 2017 through their long term Joint Rohingya Response Program (JRRP). Their work in Bangladesh communities has also included community health worker training, to disseminate health and hygiene messaging (including COVID-19 prevention and detection) throughout the camps. In 2020, Community Health Workers made over 250,000 visits to 11,692 households.

###

Media Contact
Yulu Public Relations
fh@yulupr.com

About Food for the Hungry

Food for the Hungry (FH) is a Christian humanitarian organization ending all forms of human poverty by providing life-changing development programs, disaster relief, and advocacy. For 50 years, FH has been working to respond to human suffering and graduate communities from extreme poverty into self-sustainability within a decade. By creating context-specific solutions in education, agriculture, health, livelihood, clean water, and disaster risk reduction, the nonprofit focuses on transformational development, investing in children as the key to lift entire communities out of poverty. With 98% of staff working in their country of origin, FH works side by side with local leaders, churches, and families to implement innovative solutions. The organization currently serves more than 5.3 million people in over 20 countries worldwide. For more information, follow FH on Instagram and Twitter, or visit www.fh.org