Coronavirus Emergency

There are millions of people, poverty stricken and living in vulnerable communities around the world with inadequate medical facilities. Self-isolating without resources, washing their hands, and getting to a health centre if they are in need, is near enough impossible. The risk of serious illness and death from the virus is even higher for them.

These figures are rising every hour of every day. We need to help extremely vulnerable people get prepared and stay safe.

Syria

9 years of conflict has resulted in over 4.8 million people fleeing Syria and are now living in overpacked refugee camps, in neighbouring countries like Jordan and Turkey, with little access to any adequate medical facilities. Many are women who have been widowed, left looking after young children.

Palestine

Decades of conflict and oppression has left people either living in one of the most densely populated areas on earth making social distancing an impossible task, or living in makeshift camps in Lebanon and Jordan, where unsanitary conditions leave it a perfect breeding ground for the virus to spread.

Rohingya

2 years ago, over one million people fled to Bangladesh to escape the violence in their home country. Now they live in one of the world’s largest and most densely populated refugee camps. Surviving the virus outbreak will be impossible without basic healthcare and sanitation facilities. Children roaming the camps with little to do, make the chances of a spread much more likely.

UK

There are over 1.5 million elderly and those with underlying health problems who are most at risk from the virus. Lockdowns and social distancing mean they have been left with little support mechanisms.

As the coronavirus spreads, there is growing concern that places like Syria, Palestine and Rohingya are likely to face a major outbreak not comparable with what we see in the UK and Europe, which would be catastrophic.