In July 2021, the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic swept through Myanmar. The military coup made the situation so much worse by denying people the hospital treatment they needed. We know of several people who died because of the impossibility of acquiring oxygen.
We are providing support through underground networks of activists and health workers to help them with oxygen, medicines, transport costs, food. We have also provided support to groups working with prevention, such as hand sanitisers and face masks in schools. This support has reached thousands of people.
Our Covid-19 support has helped fund:
- PPE
- Oxygen
- Food
- Transport
- Medicines
When the Covid-19 epidemic first hit in 2020, the most vulnerable people in and from Myanmar were those who have fled conflict and human rights violations. They are living in cramped and squalid conditions without sanitation in camps in Myanmar, and in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. These communities were on the edge of survival even before the pandemic hit.
Advance Myanmar worked quickly to secure funding to help those most vulnerable in this crisis. With misinformation rampant, it was vital that life-saving information and equipment came from sources these communities trusted. This meant the grassroots organisations from these communities that we already knew and worked with.
We were able to swiftly disburse almost £130,000 to reach these vulnerable communities.
- We assisted community organisations helping internally displaced people in conflict affected ethnic states.
- We assisted mobile health teams to travel to remote areas providing healthcare, information and safety equipment such as masks.
- We assisted Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to set up information communities to provide their fellow refugees with information and equipment to stay safe.
- We assisted community organisations to work with refugees in camps in Thailand providing education on how to stay safe and with reusable facemasks, made by refugees themselves so providing employment at the same time.