KSrelief chief visits IOM's relief operations at Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar

Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah, supervisor general of Ksrelief – Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Humanitarian Aid & Relief Centre - has visited IOM’s relief operations for Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 11 April 2018, 10:15 PM
Updated : 11 April 2018, 10:15 PM

The visit included an inspection of a new logistics base, funded by the Saudi foundation, which will play a key role in getting vital aid to the refugees during the difficult and dangerous conditions expected during the upcoming monsoon season.

The base at Nhilla would be a hub for IOM’s distribution of aid to refugees in the southern part of Cox’s Bazar during the wet season when mud and landslides are expected to create severe access challenges across the entire district, according to an IOM press release issued on Wednesday.

The hub would guarantee aid deliveries remote areas even if established distribution points further north are cut off, it added.

Around 900,000 Rohingya refugees are now sheltering in Cox’s Bazar and are almost entirely reliant on aid. Most arrived after fleeing extreme violence in Myanmar’s Northern Rakhine State that began in August 2017, IOM (the international organisation for migration) estimates.

IOM, partner aid agencies and the government of Bangladesh are involved in a massive joint effort to develop and upgrade access and improve and ready supply systems before the bad weather hits, perhaps as early as next month.

During his visit, Al Rabeeah also witnessed a WFP distribution of rice - some of 550 MT donated by KSrelief - together with non-food items, including blankets, mattresses and plastic buckets, also donated by his agency.

“I am happy to be at Kutupalang and Balukhali refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar witnessing the joint work of IOM and Ksrelief and IOM’s support to the Rohingya minority.

"Our work together is a model of joint compassion for those in need and an example of many other excellent partner projects globally,” said Al Rabeeah, who was an internationally acclaimed surgeon and health expert before joining KSrelief.

KSrelief has currently provided over USD 4.2 million to fund IOM’s shelter and water, sanitation and hygiene support for Rohingya refugees and local Bangladeshis living in the Cox’s Bazar District.

Shortly after the beginning of the crisis, in September 2017, KSrelief also organized an airlift of aid into Cox’s Bazar, which IOM distributed. It included rice, blankets, mattresses and water purification tablets.

In recent weeks, IOM has provided 22,500 families with shelter-upgrade kits as part of a rollout to help 120,000 households improve and strengthen their living quarters.

In addition, 33,550 households have received community training on shelter upgrades and disaster risk reduction. More than 550 families deemed most at risk have already been relocated to safer areas with that number set to increase significantly over the coming weeks, as new sites are prepared.

After visiting a Malaysian-run hospital in the settlement, they will travel to Cox’s Bazar general hospital. IOM medical staff refer refugees and local people to this hospital for specialist treatment if it is not available any of IOM’s 12 medical clinics in the district.

“This visit comes at a vital time for the humanitarian response to this crisis, as we prepare for the impending monsoon and cyclone seasons,” said Mohammed Abdiker, IOM’s Director of Operations and Emergencies, who accompanied the KSrelief delegation.

In addition to funding IOM’s humanitarian operations in Bangladesh, KSrelief also funds IOM projects in Myanmar, Yemen, Somalia and Greece.