When acute crises and disasters occur, Mission East helps people – both in the countries in which we operate and, in the countries, where we are otherwise absent, where we work through local and international partners.

Mission East responds in situations that require immediate humanitarian action. This is usually done through partners already working in that country. In the past we have provided help to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Similarly, for several years we have supported vulnerable families affected by the civil war in Syria, where we have now also intensified our work on long-term development projects.

Corona-crisis

The current Corona pandemic has hit the world. Mission East has chosen to help in the most vulnerable areas for the spread of infection. This is true in the poor and war-torn countries of Afghanistan, Nepal, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, where water, sanitation, proper hygiene facilities and information on prevention of Covid-19 infection are in short supply. As they have neither respirators, adequate health facilities nor the possibility of isolating the infection, it can develop into a health crisis in the refugee camps and in the densely populated urban areas of refugees and internally displaced persons.

We therefore take precautionary action. We hand out blankets to thousands of refugees and displaced people in camps so that they do not have to queue with others at risk of infection. We inform about the danger of staging together in large groups. We make sure they have access to clean drinking water. And the most vulnerable – the elderly, the weak, the sick and people with disabilities – we provide food aid. We distribute hygiene items to everyone so they can stay safe. Soap, hand spray, washing powder. And we inform about the whole situation in the hope that we can prevent the spread of the infection. Any kind of protection and information is beneficial to the people, so we avoid a total disaster.

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