The coronavirus will hit people living in fragile settings hardest.
The World Health Organization has declared the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus as a pandemic. Most countries have reported cases of the novel coronavirus, including all of the fragile settings where Relief International operates.
The more than 70 million men, women, and children displaced from their homes living in refugee camps or crowded urban areas are at the greatest risk for contracting the virus. These families are often living under harsh, overcrowded conditions with limited access to healthcare. We are very concerned about how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect people living in already vulnerable situations.
It is also in these fragile settings where the virus will spread rapidly, overwhelming not only their health systems but grinding all other services to a halt.
Relief International is responding to the ever-evolving outbreak by launching new responses and adapting existing programs so that refugees and those living in fragile settings do not lose the services they depend on amidst this global pandemic. From sourcing protective medical gear for frontline health workers in Iran to continuing our life-changing programs with Syrian refugees in Jordan, our local teams are on the ground responding to the widespread impact of the virus.
