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IRC monthly update
MARCH 2020
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We hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. This month we’re focusing on bringing you inside the IRC’s response to COVID-19, from a roundup of IRC experts to inspiring stories from our work on the ground.
Behind this month's headlines
A roundup of our experts on COVID-19 in crisis zones
Go inside the IRC's response to the pandemic around the world
One thing you can ask Congress to do
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What you need to know about COVID-19 in crisis zones
The novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, is now confirmed in many countries in crisis including Afghanistan, Iraq, Burkina Faso, Venezuela, and, just this week, Syria.
Wealthy countries are struggling to contain the pandemic. Imagine the impact it could have in countries with weak health systems less prepared to combat the disease.
Imagine the impact in a country at war - or in a refugee camp.
The IRC is ramping up its response to slow the virus's spread among those likely to be hardest hit. Here are four key facts about COVID-19, from IRC experts:
For many, social distancing is not an option
Displaced and vulnerable families are often confined to overcrowded refugee camps or urban areas where a disease can spread rapidly. The advice given to protect ourselves from the virus - wash your hands with soap and clean water, visit a health clinic if symptomatic, and use social distancing - is not always possible for these families to follow.
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War devastates health care
COVID-19 in Syria, where there were 85 attacks on health facilities last year in Idlib alone, could lead to the most severe outbreak in the world.
"Intensive care, access to ventilators, oxygen ... these are things that unfortunately don't really exist in a lot of the contexts in which we work," said Dr. Stacey Mearns, the IRC's senior technical advisor for emergency health. "How will those contexts cope with many more cases?"
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We can save lives
Bob Kitchen, the head of the IRC's response to COVID-19, said that we can promote safety by increasing the number of hand-washing stations, fresh water, infection control points, and public health communications.
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He worries about the "perfect storm" of fragility and instability In Iraq, the poverty of Burkina Faso, and the tens of thousands of refugees and migrants stuck on the Greek islands. But he praises the IRC's in-country staff "keeping our lifesaving programs afloat."
"We have the gift of time." But we need to use it.
In a recent appearance on PBS's NewsHour, IRC CEO and president David Miliband noted that many countries at war have, thankfully, not yet been hit with the full force of COVID-19. But he stressed that the international community urgently needs to take advantage of this time to help countries with weaker health systems.
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"COVID-19 proves that we are an interconnected world," he said. "This disease needs to be beaten everywhere if we're all to be safe."
The IRC needs significant funds for emergency response and to maintain our life-saving programs intact during the pandemic. To that end, we have launched a $30 million appeal to help us protect vulnerable populations and displaced people. You can donate to support our work here.
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Rescue in action
What does it look like to combat COVID-19 in crisis zones and with vulnerable populations? Our staff is on-the-ground every day doing just that. Below are just a few examples of our life-saving work. You can also find live updates from the field here.
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Fighting COVID-19 with technology
Even before COVID-19, the IRC's innovative Refugee.Info and CuéntaNos platforms provided refugees with key information on topics such as shelter, health, and legal assistance. Now, these platforms are being used to get the facts out about COVID-19 in places including Italy, El Salvador, and Honduras. In fact, the first Refugee.Info blog post on the virus reached 70,000 people.
In Syria and Jordan
As Syria suffers from nearly a decade of war and braces for the impact of COVID-19, our teams continue their work both in the country itself and in nearby refugee camps. For instance, our teams in the northwest are taking precautionary measures while continuing to help families rebuild their lives and our staff in Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan continue to provide essential health services to Syrian refugees.
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In the United States
The IRC remains committed to continuing to serve and support refugees in the U.S., even as our offices move to remote work. Our team in Denver recently put together and delivered essential supplies - including food - to clients across the Denver metro area. And our office in Boise has done its part by translating COVID-19 guidance into fourteen languages!
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One thing you can do
Thank the people on the front lines
Every day, IRC staff are working in places in crisis to deliver our lifesaving services while slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Celebrate their work by helping us thank these brave front-line workers on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
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