COVID-19 EMERGENCY RELIEF

JTS provided 10,000 pieces of protective clothing to the medical staff in the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Around 859,000 Rohingya people—a Muslim minority group currently experiencing persecution in Myanmar—live in the refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox Bazaar.

Along with emergency food aid, JTS provided 100,000 gas stoves from 2017 to 2019, benefitting more than 500,000 Rohingya refugees. Not only did this improve cooking conditions and protect nearby forests from destruction, but it also secured the safety of the women and children from the various dangers they faced whenever they went to gather firewood.

The refugee camp, which is very densely populated, is particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases because of its weak medical system and lack of social safety nets. Risk of infection is also high due to lack of infection control practices and personal protective equipment. In response, JTS decided to provide 10,000 pieces of protective clothing to medical staff in the Rohingya refugee camp.

The process of providing emergency supplies was not easy since most countries have been strictly limiting the movement of goods and people throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. JTS once again worked with the World Food Programme (WFP) to overcome those obstacles.

JTS purchased 10,000 protective suits and sent them to Dhaka Airport via free WFP air service. The WFP received the goods from Dhaka Airport and safely completed the delivery to the Cox Bazar WFP warehouse. The United Nations (UN) made this available to humanitarian agencies for COVID-19 emergency purposes.

Currently, the WFP is working to devise the best strategy for allocating the 10,000 pieces of protective clothing and distributing them through medical facilities that are in urgent need of support.

We pray that the JTS relief aid will help the refugee camp through this COVID-19 crisis.