By Andrea Osorio | GlobalGiving Disaster Recovery Network Fellow
As we enter a new decade, we are reflecting on all the ways that donors like you chose to act with empathy, kindness, and solidarity in support of people affected by humanitarian crises. Through your donations to the Rohingya Refugee Relief Fund, local nonprofit organizations received the resources required to address the long-term needs of roughly 900,000 refugees driven from their homes by violence and conflict.
While it remains uncertain how long this displacement crisis will last, the GlobalGiving community is continuing to respond to the new set of challenges through a recent round of grants in support of relief efforts:
Empowering Medical Response from Within the Community
The goal of OBAT Helpers Inc is to improve the health outcomes of Rohingya refugees by harnessing the capacity that lies within the Rohingya community itself. OBAT Helpers is achieving this by developing a network of Community Health Workers comprised of Rohingya volunteers, empowering the very community the health organization works to benefit.
The health workers make regular “home visits” within the camps and work to raise awareness of the clinic’s available services within the Rohingya community. Thanks to your generous support, the health workers distribute medical supplies based on the needs they observe during visits.
The Right to Education
Losing everything after being forced to flee from Myanmar is difficult enough, but especially heartbreaking is the erosion of educational opportunities available to displaced Rohingya children living in the Bangladeshi camps. Tensions over which country’s curriculum to permit has limited access to formalized education, a critical necessity to avoid a “lost generation.”
JAAGO Foundation, a local nonprofit partner based in Bangladesh, aims to provide the very best in holistic care and protection for children ages 4-15 through its Safe Haven Project. Through the creation of three different learning zones within the camps, JAAGO builds an environment of social and emotional development for students, complete with experts in trauma therapy.
Progress in the Fight Against Gender-based Violence
BRAC USA is coordinating with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in launching a new initiative against gender-based violence.
Over 100 men are stepping into the role of fighting sexual and gender-based violence, speaking weekly about a variety of topics including positive masculinity, child marriage, and polygamy. Utilizing this community-based model, community members are given the skills and knowledge they need to become role models equipped to confront abuse and offer pathways of support to victims.
In 2020, enabled by your generous support of this fund, GlobalGiving is working to establish new partnerships with Rohingya-led organizations and host community leaders to ensure the well-being of both young and old affected by this conflict. Inspired by a fresh start, we join together in hoping for a resolution to this ongoing crisis.
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When a disaster strikes, recovery efforts led by people who live and work in affected communities are often overlooked and underfunded. GlobalGiving is changing this reality. Since 2004, we've been shifting decision-making power to crises-affected communities through trust-based grantmaking and support.
We make it easy, quick, and safe to support people on the ground who understand needs in their communities better than anyone else.
They were there long before the news cameras arrived, and they’ll be there long after the cameras leave. They know how to make their communities more resilient to future disasters, and they’re already hard at work. GlobalGiving puts donations and grants directly into their hands. Because the status quo—which gives the vast majority of funding to a few large organizations—doesn’t make sense.
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