BRAC has been working in Cox’s Bazar for the last 37 years with the host communities of the region and the Rohingya community from previous influxes. BRAC Humanitarian Crisis Management Programme (HCMP) was initiated in August 2017 to provide emergency services to the people affected by the recent influx.
BRAC’s work started with a focus on life-saving interventions. As the situation evolved, we incorporated interventions to support everyone affected by the crisis in both the camps and host communities to enhance skills, build resilience and share knowledge. We are currently serving more than 700,000 people in Cox’s Bazar, with the broadest programming portfolio of all responders.
ACTIVITY UPDATE
The Shelter sector completed construction of the Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Isolation and Treatment Centre (SARI-ITC) near the army check post in Ukhiya and handed it over to UNHCR on 9 May 2020. UNHCR, along with the deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazar Md Kamal Hossain, the RRRC Md Mahbub Alam Takluder and other partner organisations inaugurated the 144-bed SARI-ITC on 21 May 2020. The treatment centre has the capacity to serve 144 patients at a time. This UNHCR initiative will serve people from both Rohingya and host communities.
BRAC, along with other partner agencies, helped the district administration of Cox’s Bazar launch a mobile hospital for primary healthcare services for the disadvantaged people during the COVID-19 pandemic on 3 May. The mobile hospital served hundreds of people from different corners of the district.
In May, a total of 6,012 host community households have been provided BDT 1,500 each under the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)-BRAC social cohesion fund for Cox’s Bazar district COVID-19 response. This emergency aid aims to help low-income families who are most vulnerable during this period.