hcmp communiqu - response.brac.net

HCMP CommuniquHUMANITARIAN CRISIS MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

COX’S BAZAR | BANGLADESH | JUNE 2021

ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS

On 22 June 2021, Asif Saleh, Executive Director, BRAC, visited the Rohingya camps affected by the fire in Ukhiya. He called on BRAC employees to stand beside the victims in case of any disaster or humanitarian crisis. He visited a learning centre, health post and water network station in Camp-9 and an adolescent centre in Camp-8. Phedra Moon Morris, Head, Development Assistance, Canadian High Commission in Bangladesh, had also joined the visit, and exchanged views with Asif Saleh regarding the crisis. Sajedul Hasan, Director, Humanitarian Programme, BRAC and BRAC International; Rear Admiral (retd) M Moqbul Hossain, Director of Operations, BRAC; Hasina Akhter Huq, Area Director, Humanitarian Crisis Management Programme, BRAC and other officials were also present during the visit.

“BRAC plays a leading role in case of any disaster or humanitarian crisis. BRAC has once again set that example during the recent fire incident in the camps” - Asif Saleh

The fire affected camps are rebooting with new humanitarian efforts. Photo: Abdullah Al Rashed

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Asif Saleh, Executive Director, BRAC visited the fire-affected areas at Camp-9

BRAC has started work on a large pond in Bhasan Char. As per the decision of RRRC, additional RRRC Bhasan Char and the Naval Force, BRAC has engaged interested people from the Rohingya community as day labourers in excavating the pond. The work on the pond was started in June 2021 and the initiative was inaugurated by the assistant camp-in-charge and officer-in-charge of the naval force in Bhasan Char. After completion of the project, the pond can be used for fish culture by forming groups of 200, taking on one person from each household. The households will directly benefit from the fish culture and vegetable cultivation from the embankment which will in turn provide yet another opportunity to derive financial and nutritional support. As the members of the Rohingya community work together, social cohesion could be developed, which could help minimise violence within the community.

On the inauguration day of excavating the pond, officials and labour workers from the Rohingya community join together for a long-term framework

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Encouraging community living and ensuring women’s privacy in the camps

The community-based protection team introduced community outreach members (COMs) who work to enhance protection and the general well-being of the Rohingya community. The outreach members respond to safety and assistance needs of members of their communities through home visits, facilitate communication between Rohingya communities and humanitarian actors, refer individuals in need to specialised services, arrange awareness-raising activities, assist communities to identify and implement solutions, and contribute to the identification of gaps in the delivery of protection and humanitarian assistance. The members also disseminate life-saving information and help the community understand, have their say, be heard, and participate.

“In our community, women and girls are discouraged to work outside their homes and are often subjected to bullying and harassment. These obstacles kept me away from participating in anything. However, after I joined the COM programme I was able to learn ways of adapting to this environment. Through my work I have also been able to explain to my fellow Rohingya that women and girls can help one another, therefore contributing to the prosperity of the entire community.

“This monsoon brought storms, excessive rain and flooding on top of the COVID-19 outbreak. These made our work even more challenging but I was able to carry out my responsibilities with the guidance from BRAC’s community-based protection team.

“Many people in the camps are not aware of the facilities available. I inform them of these services through home visits. I am glad that I have been able to help the elderly and people with special needs. Now that they know me, I am like a guardian to them”.

BRAC supports people of the Rohingya community to identify their needs and threats to their safety. Women like Jahura Begum, with support from BRAC, strive and succeed in reclaiming their dignity and place in the community.

Rahan Bibi (9), Level 2, Block F-2, Camp 15

HUMANITARIAN CRISIS MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME 02


Jahura Begum (26), a community outreach member, Camp 4







BRAC in Bhashan Char



The overcrowding in the Cox's Bazar Rohingya camps has led the Government of Bangladesh to consider temporarily relocating the Rohingyas to the island of Bhasan Char under its Ashrayan-3 Project. Bhasan Char, a temporary settlement for the displaced Rohingya, has the facilities to support 100,000 people. Currently, Bhasan Char is sheltering 18,260 people from the Rohingya community and an additional 82,000 will be relocated to Bhasan Char in the next few months.

BRAC conducted an assessment in Bhasan Char in January 2021 and carried out consultations with the government to identify the needs and explore opportunities for BRAC interventions in the Char. Based on the assessment findings, BRAC has already started supporting Rohingyas in Bhasan Char using its own funds. The BRAC project includes interventions in education, agriculture and environment, water, sanitation and health, and TB and malaria. The project has already provided support to 1,500 households living in Bhasan Char. A summary of activities carried out by the project are given below:

Education: 400 Rohingya children are enrolled in learning centres. Teachers have been recruited and provided a five-day training on the teaching curriculum. COVID-19 protective materials, including masks, soaps, hand sanitisers and detergent powder, have been distributed among students.

Water, sanitation and hygiene: The WASH team is carrying out its interventions with 26 clusters. Thirty-five Rohingya participants (30 men and five women) from these clusters are engaged as day labourers recruited to clean the drains.

Agriculture and environment: 170 participants received seeds for fast-growing vegetables including water spinach, amaranth, spinach, long yard bean, bottle gourd, sweet gourd, and sweet potato to meet the nutritional needs and to enhance self-reliance among the community. The agriculture team also provided fertilisers, seeds and materials for vegetable gardening among Rohingyas in Bhasan Char. Participants were acquainted with different forms of gardening forms like rooftop, vertical, tower, and sack-bag gardening.

TB-malaria: Awareness messages were disseminated to 3,342 households. 71 probable TB cases were identified and seven TB cases were diagnosed through the Gene–Xpert system and other diagnostics technologies.

Education is continuing in small groups in the learning centre at Bhasan Char







OTHER ACTIVITIES


Ensuring food security and livelihood

Vegetable seeds, manure and fencing materials were distributed among 394 households to support their engagement in multiple income-generating activities. 1,123 people received 3,611 moringa (Sajina) seedlings. 59 papaya and 40 brinjal seedlings were distributed in Whykong branch from the community nursery. The Baby Chick Ranikhet Disease Vaccine and Ranikhet Disease Vaccine was given to 3,229 chicks and 7,494 adult chickens respectively to curb the mortality rate.

Uninterrupted healthcare

In June 2021, 13,811 households received care from BRAC’s community health workers. 7,920 people were screened for COVID-19 and the 224 suspected cases were referred to respective health facilities. Counseling and discussions were held in the camps and 98,602 people received COVID-19 prevention messages through household visits. The UNHCR-funded Quarantine Centre in Camp 4 Extension is being operated by BRAC HCMP Health Team where 353 (175 men, 178 women) suspected COVID-19 patients are on a 14-day quarantine and 343 (184 men, 159 women) were discharged within this reporting period.

Food for all

28,723 households (137,603 individuals) in seven Rohingya camps received access to diversified food through six e-voucher outlets. 5,274 households received special support by the general food assistance team using alternative collectors at the household level because of their inability to reach the outlets. The team also supported 8,022 families with allocations of BDT 253 per person to buy necessary goods from the Fresh Food Corner to meet their dietary needs. Under the Rapid Response Modality, 0.44 metric ton of High Energy Biscuits were distributed to 88 households and hot meals to 800 individuals.


Continued child protection support

An online psychosocial support (PSS) training was arranged for 169 frontline staff and 892 volunteers from the Rohingya community from 13 to 17 June 2021. BRAC IED conducted the monthly training for the Pashe Achhi volunteers over the phone with participation from 77 camp-based master trainers and 12 host community master trainers. The team also organised a refresher training on the Pashe Achhi modality for 994 Myanmar Language Facilitators and 163 Play Leaders from the host community. A daylong meeting was held with senior para counsellors and mentor para counsellors on the Para Counselor Development Process. Child Protection Sector Lead, Riffat Jahan Nahreen, along with other colleagues, attended the meeting.

Ensuring safe water, sanitation and hygiene

Two new piped water networks were installed, equipped with solar systems. One is located in Camp 15 with a 20,000 litre tank capacity, covering a community of approximately 1,558 people. The other water network, with a capacity of 25,000 litres, will benefit 1,500 people. 58 latrines and 20 bathing cubicles were constructed. The water network system in Camp 25 was repaired, 300 cubic metres of water was provided through trucks in Camp 9, 10 fecal sludge management plants were repaired in Camps 2W and 9, and 44,155 metre-long drain was cleaned in Camp 24. The team organised six solid waste management campaigns for the Rohingya community.

Ensuring safe shelters

In June 2021, 3,975 households received building materials from the shelter sector. Of the families which received the materials, 108 had partially damaged shelters, 719 had severely damaged and 2,513 had damaged shelters. 635 shelters were affected by the fire incident.

The team distributed shelter building materials to 1,231 households, among which 51 shelters are to be newly constructed while 2,377 shelter building materials were redistributed and 1,005 went to repair and maintenance.

397 households with extremely vulnerable individuals (EVI) received labour support to build and/or renovate their shelters on time ensuring quality. The shelter sector constructed 638 metres of drainage to reduce waterlogging and constructed 509 metres of stairs to ease access and mobility among the Rohingya community, especially women, elderly people, people with disabilities and children. 205 metres of a bamboo bridge was constructed to facilitate the communication network from one cluster to another inside the camps.

Ranikhet vaccines help to reduce chicken mortality rate







S N I P P E T SThe BRAC Humanitarian Crisis Management Programme celebrates the World Refugee Day 2021

On 20 June 2021, BRAC Humanitarian Crisis Management Programme arranged activities for World Refugee Day in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar. This year’s theme was ‘Together we heal, learn and shine’. BRAC Community-Based Protection team members organised a drawing competition and a henna festival in Camp 4. Young boys and girls participated in these events. Addressing the festival, Hasina Akhter Huq, Area Director of BRAC HCMP, said, ‘BRAC has stood beside Rohingyas since the inception of the refugee crisis, with the spirit of the humanitarian cause, and will continue to do so’.

The Child Protection sector celebrated World Refugee Day by organising a discussion on the issue, where participants shared their experiences of working with the Rohingya community over the past few years.

The gender-based violence team celebrated the Day in Camp 4 extension on the occasion of the visit of the UNHCR goodwill ambassador, singer Tahsan Khan. SASA! Together team planned four activities performed in the Multipurpose Community Centre and Safe Space for Women & Girls Centre of Camp 4 Extension. The four activities were ‘Healing through Art’, ‘Tree Hood’, ‘New Planet’ and ‘Shining Stars from Refugees’. A miniature model of the structure of Integrated Community Center of Camp-21 was presented to the visitors by the Learning and Assessment officer of SASA! Together, GBV Prevention team in the UNHCR office.

Training on disaster preparedness

A training programme was arranged on 24 June 2021, under the government’s Cyclone Preparedness Programme on disaster preparedness with participation from BRAC’s field level staff, 19 of whom were male and 9 female. The training, titled ‘Intensive Disaster Response & Rescue (ComFIDRe)’ was conducted in the Orchid Blue Hotel in Cox’s Bazar. The participants received both practical and theoretical knowledge on landslides, fire fighting system, emergency rescue, and first aid. Md Mamun, deputy assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence; Purna Chandra Mutsuddy, deputy assistant director of Fire Service; Md Shadat Hossain, senior station officer, Fire Service & Civil Defence, among others, were present as trainers.

Disability inclusion training for local partners

The HCMP team organised a training on disability inclusion for its local partners as a part of mainstreaming humanitarian action, on 19 and 20 June. The main objectives of this training were to build the capacity of the partners and provide basic guidelines on disability inclusion to reduce the disability service gap. Six partners under the DFAT Project participated in the training, including ACLAB, PHALS, JNUS, SHED, HELP Cox’s Bazar, and NOGOR.









International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking

On 26 June 2021, the Protection team in Ratnapalong observed the ‘International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’ in order to raise awareness about drug-related issues. ‘Share facts on drugs, save lives’ was the theme of the international day this year. BRAC Protection (DFAT) celebrated the day in Bhalukiya and Goyalmara separately, beginning with an essay competition on ‘Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking’. A total of 26 adolescent boys and girls from both areas participated in the competition. In addition, drug abuse and illicit trafficking awareness sessions were held in both centres. Government representatives – Chairman Khairul Alom Chowdhury and MP Putul Rani Barua of Ratnapalong union were present in the events at Bhalukiya and in Safe Space for Women and Girls of Goyalmara respectively as chief guests. MP Anjuman Chowdhury and Member Mabubul Alom Chowdhury were also present in the community centre. They interacted with the participants of the awareness sessions and promised to extend their support to those affected by drug abuse. After the session, the chief guest handed over prizes to the winners of the essay competition.

DG-NGOAB visits BRAC Primary Healthcare Centre

On 17 June 2021, the Director-General of NGO Affairs Bureau K.M Tariqul Islam visited the Primary Healthcare Centre in Camp 13. The health sector lead Dr Md Mahabubul Alam, Senior Branch Manager of Hakimpara Md Rashidul Hassan, Associate RRRC Md Shamsud Douza and Camp in-charge of Camp 13 were present during the visit. The Director-General of NGOAB visited the outpatient department, emergency room, infectious disease department, expanded programme on immunisation, sexual and reproductive health services and nutrition service corner of the health centre. He expressed his satisfaction and also advised caution for any unanticipated health challenges, and to follow proper protocols while responding to future challenges.

BRAC’s advocacy on safeguarding

HCMP conducted a four-day training on Safeguarding Employees and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) on 13 June. The training was aimed at raising awareness on the issue of ensuring a safe atmosphere for all employees, partners, volunteers, suppliers, camp and host participants by teaching them how to prevent abuse and exploitation. The training included 160 trainees from different HCMP programmes and was moderated by Farzana Siddiqua, Manager of Training and Safeguarding unit of BRAC HCMP.

CAMP COORDINATION MEETING WITH Camp in Charge (CiC) at Camp 22

On 9 June 2021, the Agriculture and Environment Sector organised a coordination meeting with the camp in-charge of Camp 22. Camp in-charge Rasedul Hassan served as the chair of the meeting and Shahana Hayat, Head of Operations, BRAC HCMP delivered the welcome speech. Md Abdus Salam, Senior Programme Manager, Agriculture & Environment, and his team delivered a presentation of the projects’ activities, achievements, key learning and major challenges. The decisions that came from the meeting included covering the camp with greenery by cultivating seasonal vegetables throughout the year. It was also decided that open spaces would be kept for vegetable gardening instead of being used to establish shops, and that the Rohingya community is to be motivated to produce compost fertiliser using their household wastes.










2,116 women received maternal health services

1,263 families received family planning services

654 mothers and children referred for immunisation

27,605 people received tele-counselling services

1,248 supportive supervision and referral services provided by community health workers

3,611 moringa seedlings distributed

899 vegetable seedlings distributed from community-based nursery

3 protection groups functioning

Camps

WASH

125 latrines constructed

66 bathing cubicles built

8 handwashing stations built

Shelter

5 new shelters built

3,975 households provided with shelter materials

378 shelters maintained

Education

38,650 households have been visited by Burmese Language instructors

2,500 children received Early Childhood Development (ECD) kits

779 teachers received training (Inclusive, Basic, In service, PSS and PSEA)

Host communities

SECTOR-WISE SNAPSHOT: JUNE 2021

Livelihoods and Food Security

28,723displaced households ensured with improved access to a wide selection of food items

8,022 most vulnerable households supported with fresh food

5,274 services provided for elderly participants








Protection Child Protection

78 legal counselling sessions conducted

16 successful legal mediations conducted

48 community groups functional

113,007 tele-counselling services provided

Health and nutrition

22,502 outpatient consultations made through Primary Healthcare Centres and Health Posts

6,485 malaria tests conducted

20 deliveries conducted in primary healthcare centres

64 TB patients diagnosed

1,385 Antenatal Care (ANC) provided

6,756 total nutrition counselling and sick child care provided

2,943 early years stimulation services provided to children aged 0-36 months

5,231 counselling sessions provided on dietary management and lifestyle modification

Camps

Site Management


Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS)

30 clinical mental health consultations conducted

749 women, men, girls and boys received focused psychosocial and psychological care

13,755 women, men, girls and boys participated in community-based group activities

313 individual counselling provided by psychologists

1,952 volunteers hired

2,502 number of community issues resolved

7 relocations facilitated in camps

Agriculture and Environment

2,250 individuals received refresher training on homestead gardening

100 trees planted

50 beneficiaries supported with contingency seeds








PROGRAMME DIRECTORSajedul [email protected] +88 02 9881265 Ext. 3530

AREA DIRECTORHasina Akhter Huq

[email protected]+880-1713-036185

PROFILE ON GROUND2,106 staff providing critical services in camps and host communities

6,155 volunteers from both camps and host communities

40% of BRAC HCMP staff are women*Updated till 30 June 2021

THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS


mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

hcmp communiqu - response.brac.net

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