Save the Rohingya

Dear Friends,

It is almost the end of the year- 2020 has been anything but easy for all of us! We hope that you and your families have been staying safe and well and that your year comes to a smooth and peaceful end.

Although things have been a bit slower at the Rohingya camp, there are still a lot of exciting updates we can’t wait to share with you. Here goes…

UPDATES FROM THE LEARNING CENTERS:

With the lockdowns in schools still ongoing, OBAT has been doing everything possible to ensure that the education of the students is not disrupted. Currently, there are 800 students studying in 10 Learning Centers. Keeping the students out of the educational system would have impeded their progress and it would have been emotionally difficult for them as well, given that going to school is the only respite they have from their bleak surroundings and circumstances. OBAT adopted the concept of supporting the students through caregivers and this measure has proved highly effective during COVID19. Caregivers are the closest relatives of children, such as parents, siblings, or any other close relative. During the selection of the caregivers, their knowledge, behavior, education level, interest in assisting the children, was carefully assessed and considered.

The Rohingya teachers and facilitators have been paid throughout the pandemic. and they have been working with the caregivers for the continuity of their students’ education.

 The caregivers guide the students and engage them in daily educational activities at home. They help students practice their textbook lessons. A very well chalked out caregiver orientation session was conducted for the Rohingya teachers who in turn are assigned for conducting orientation sessions with the caregivers. A total of 604 caregivers were also trained on identifying and managing the symptoms of COVID-19 as well as the safety measures they need to practice with their families.

 UPDATES FROM THE HEALTH POST:

The average number of patients being treated at OBAT’s Health Post in the Rohingya Camps is 3,000 per month. Prantic Unnayan, OBAT's implementing partner in theRohingya projects, is taking a coordinated approach to address widespread needs created by COVID-19, including a dearth of medical equipment needed to address the crisis. This is a scarcity which is being faced by all operating NGO's in the Rohingya camps. Thanks to a generous donation by OBAT's partner,MedGlobal, OBAT was able to distribute the following equipment among 4 locally operating NGOS:  ultrasound machines, autoclave machines, ventilators and central oxygen systems. This is a part of an ongoing effort by OBAT and MedGlobal and has in the past involved the distribution of ppe, masks and hand sanitizers to combat the spread of COVID-19 in the Rohingya camp.

UPDATES FROM THE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT PROJECT:

A new Multipurpose Center was recently inaugurated in the Rohingya camp. This Multipurpose Center is part of a 5-month long project, funded by ALIGHT that will help build the capacity of the host community and destitute Rohingya women who have been affected by COVID-19. The new center is hosting sewing training classes for 40 women- 25% of these women are from the host community as per the requirement of the Bangladeshi government. The center, at other times will also serve as a space for staff training, community gatherings, and other beneficial programs. The Camp-in-Charge kicked off the project by planting trees around the territory, as a symbol of growth and progress for the entire camp community.

OTHER EXCITING UPDATES!

• September was Baby Safety Month. OBAT celebrated the month by distributing 25 sets of baby kits to 25 FDMN (Forcefully Displaced Myanmar National) mothers of 0-5-month old babies. Each set comprised of a bamboo cot, cushion with pillows, katha (a local handmade blanket), mosquito net, feeder and a plastic bucket. All sewing items were created by Rohingya women who have earlier received training from OBAT’s Women Empowerment Center.Dr. Shabnam, OBAT’s resident physician, demonstrated the purpose and uses of distributed items. Emphasis was also placed by her on safe sleeping practice of the babies to encourage their healthy growth.The distribution is the outcome of a pilot project funded by Bee Humble, a Florida based organization, working jointly with OBAT Helpers. 25 units of the infant kits were made as a pilot program. 

•  The students at OBAT’s Chittagong Sewing Center in the IDP camps, stitched 2,000 masks for the patients visiting our Rohingya Medical Clinic. The impressive effort was funded directly by our generous donors and it’s benefits were two-fold. Not only were our clinic patients provided much-needed masks to help curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the Rohingya camps, but by training the students  to sew the masks themselves, we imparted a new skill, which is invaluable in creating future employment opportunities for camp women. Additionally, by enabling camp women to give back, we create a cycle of empowerment and community-growth that will continue to help the camps transform into thriving communities.

Friends, as we enter the holiday season, please keep the families of Rohingya refugees in your prayers. In spite of the trying circumstances created by the pandemic, we all have the comfort of food, clean water and healthcare in our lives. This is not a given for many others in the world, including the thousands of refugee families who have been forced to call a tent in a foreign country, their home.

By supporting OBAT’s Rohingya Relief project, you are creating light and hope in the lives of the refugees and igniting in them the will to survive. This is a season of giving for everyone- do tell your friends and families to make helping Rohingya refugees a part of their giving, this year.

Stay safe and warm, dear friends. And wherever you are in the world, enjoy a peaceful holiday season with your loved ones.

Warmly,

Your OBAT Family.

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