1. With at least one critical service
HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE IN COX’S BAZAR
Weekly Situation Report for Media:
October 2 –
What you need to know
put numbers with icons BIG NUMBERS PEOPLE
Bangladesh continues to welcome forcefully-displaced Myanmar nationals fleeing persecution and violence, with approximately 519,000 new arrivals since August 25th.
Along with the Government of Bangladesh, a number of international and national organisations have responded to meet their urgent needs.
BRAC, with its proven experience and expertise in humanitarian response and development, immediately put a strong team in place to provide critical services and infrastructure at scale.
As the population’s needs change and the situation evolves, BRAC is adapting its approach to maximise reach and impact.
264,000
People reached
With at least one critical service 10
fixed
health centers 56
child-friendly
spaces
23,000
cold protection kits 50
mobile
medical camps
1,000
tube wells
5,000
latrines
79,000
children’s
clothes

2. COORDINATION AND PARTNER ENGAGEMENT
Target population
and coverage
BRAC’s aims to meet the immediate water, sanitation, health, and safety needs of at least 300,000 newly arriving People from Rakhine state of Myanmar (PFRM) as quickly as possible.
As basic needs are met, BRAC is intensifying its activities in these areas and may expand into uncovered areas.
While we aim to reach everyone, we are taking special measures to ensure we meet the needs of children, people with disabilities, adolescent girls, and pregnant and lactating women.
Currently BRAC is working in
both spontaneous new settlements and existing makeshift settlements, including:
Kutupalong
Lambasia
Balukhali
Thaingkhali
Kutupalong Extension
Baharchara
Unchiprang
Moynarghona
Hakimpara and Jamtali
BRAC aims to ensure that its work supports the objectives of the Government of Bangladesh. In this context, we are working closely with the Bangladesh Army.
COORDINATION AND PARTNER ENGAGEMENT

3. HEALTH What’s next: 109,000 medical services provided KEY HIGHLIGHTS
There are 24,000 pregnant women in need of prenatal care and a safe place to delivery their babies. Over 5,200 are already receiving prenatal care from BRAC.
HEALTH
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
over
109,000 medical services provided
Women’s health
Many of the women who have arrived in Bangladesh are pregnant. We ensure that they receive regular prenatal care, safe delivery, and postnatal care. Over 3,200 households have also received family planning services from us.
Children’s health
The long journey and harsh living conditions have created health concerns for children. BRAC has treated over 9,000 cases of pneumonia and other acute respiratory infections, as well as many cases of fevers, deworming and diarrhea. 3,500 children have received micronutrient powder for improved nutrition.
Infectious disease
Infectious disease is a huge concern given the congested nature of the settlements. The team has tested 6,400 people for malaria to monitor the situation and thus far treated one case. 2,800 people have been tested for TB and 31 are receiving ongoing treatment support. All of BRAC’s community health workers have been trained on the oral cholera vaccination.
Psychosocial support
Many people have experienced violence and traumatic events. BRAC’s community health workers are trained to provide basic psychosocial support during their household visits, and refer to BRAC’s professional counselors when appropriate.
7,000 people receive health services every day
50 mobile health camps + 10 fixed centers
200 staff providing health services, including doctors, paramedics, midwives, and community health workers.
BRAC is building 10 maternity clinics to ensure that women have a safe and dignified space for delivery, as well as ensuring stronger linkages from home-based services to its clinics and other providers as needed.
It is also increasing the scope of services to include more nutritional support and behavior education.
What’s next:

4. Breakdown of health services provided, by type
Say hello to one of the newest arrivals!
She was born on Saturday at one of BRAC’s new fixed centers, staffed by doctors and midwives. Mom and baby are home and doing well.
Breakdown of health services provided, by type
(2-9 October 2017)
7% Other
3% Family planning
14% Diarrhea
5% Pre natal care
15% Hyperacidity
13% Pneumonia
8% Dysentery
25% Fever
10% Deworming

5. 264,000 230,000 WATER AND SANITATION What’s next:
For some people, the closest safe water source is over an hour by foot. BRAC has now installed 1,035 shallow tube wells and is focused on places like Unchiprang, where the water sources are deeper and the ground is rocky. We will keep working until everyone, everywhere has access.
WATER AND SANITATION
264,000
people accessing safe water from 1,035 tube wells
230,000
people accessing sanitation through 5,700 latrines
What’s next:
Sanitation and water remain critical needs, with too many people still lacking access. BRAC is currently working towards installing 15,000 pit latrines and 1,100 tube wells within the next few weeks. It is also installing bathing cubes to give women and adolescent girls more safety and privacy.
Despite the massive increase in access to safe water, many are still getting sick from poor hygiene practices and unhygienic containers used to transport and store water. BRAC has distributed packs of buckets, vessels and mugs to 6,500 households to begin to address this issue.

6. Playing is how children learn and heal.
BRAC’s 56 child-friendly spaces support over 4,000 children every day. Knowing that their children are safe and happy, parents can more easily go about their daily work.
CHILD PROTECTION AND EDUCATION
56 child-friendly spaces with recreational support
Over 4,000 packets of highly nutritious biscuits distributed daily
120 staff trained in child development and psychosocial support
What’s next:
Our initial experience shows a positive response from families, with many contributing in the construction process. We are actively in the process of opening a total of 120 child-friendly spaces. These spaces also offer a platform for more engagement with parents about child development, nutrition, and other key topics.
Over time, BRAC hopes to expand its provision of food and educational activities. It will build out more age-specific offerings, beginning with play-based activities for young children, and continue all the way to life skills for adolescents.

7. Winter is coming. The sun sets earlier. The nights are cooler
Winter is coming. The sun sets earlier. The nights are cooler. Yet many still lack adequate shelter, clothes, and light sources for night-time warmth and security.
SHELTER
AND
NON-FOOD ITEMS
79,000 children have received new clothes
23,000 families have received floor mats and plastic for cold protection
580 families have received solar lights
BRAC’s 700 staff spend their days in the makeshift settlements, visiting people where they are staying. They see first-hand how people live and what they need, including those who are often missed by distribution efforts, like the elderly, people with disability, and women with limited mobility. These insights drive our prioritisation of items to procure, knowing that our staff can get it to those who need it.
What’s next
in NFIs:
The needs are massive.
BRAC is exploring opportunities to distribute many more solar lights, blankets, clothes, and other critical goods.

8. KEY
CHALLENGES
Shifting population. As fast as BRAC and other organizations can put infrastructure and services in place, it is still difficult to keep up with the constant movement between various settlements and areas. Ensuring that people truly have continuous access to services requires constant on-the-ground assessment.
Finding people who need services. In the last few weeks, the infrastructure to serve new arrivals has increased significantly. But many remain hidden from view, such as the estimated 20,000 elderly people, 25,000 pregnant women, and many people with disability. Intensifying ground presence, including through more engagement with communities and local leaders, is crucial for identifying them and meeting their needs.
Ensuring women and children’s safety. This type of humanitarian setting creates specific vulnerabilities for women and children. The crowds and chaos can often give rise to human trafficking and sexual violence. Increasing safe spaces for children and women (especially at night), as well as providing more light in communal spaces at night, can help reduce the risks.
Finding space for quality service provision. With such intense population growth in a short time period, free space to hard to find. But so many critical services, including health centers and child-friendly spaces, are only possible if space and adequate facilities are possible.
Members of host community facing increased vulnerabilities. The influx of people and humanitarian situation has had many consequences for the local residents, ranging from increased food and transportation prices, to lower wages for day labor. Efforts are needed to ensure that their needs are met, with equitable access to critical services.

9. Join the world’s biggest family.
BRAC has extensive humanitarian response experience in Bangladesh and many other countries. But every situation presents unique challenges.
In all we do, we aim to learn as we go and get better every day.
Drawing on our development approach and the humanitarian charter, here are the principles we follow:
Work with people, based on their needs
Get boots on the ground
Move fast and think big
Cover the basics first, then build out
Adapt daily
Gear up for the long haul
Join the world’s biggest family.

10. Time BRAC’S STRATEGY: a phase-wise approach
MASS
INFLUX
ARRIVAL
MAKESHIFT
SETTLEMENTS
MORE
ORGANISED LIVING
INITIAL
TRANSITIONAL
MORE ORGANISED
Time
OUR WORK IS JUST BEGINNING: LOOKING AHEAD
As the situation and needs of the people are likely to evolve rapidly in the coming weeks and months, BRAC is pursuing an adaptive, phase-wise strategy that sequences its humanitarian services and interventions to maximise its responsiveness and impact, with the aim of providing key services to at least 300,000 people. This includes an “initial phase” of intense, focused services to address the most urgent needs, a “transition phase” of building out these areas to include some additional critical services, and a “more organised” phase with comprehensive, tailored solutions.
We are actively engaged with the Government of Bangladesh and others to understand where we can contribute the most. Increasingly we are going into less accessible areas with fewer services available, and working with others to leverage our distribution systems and growing footprint in the community. We are committed to providing critical services to those who need to most, with a particular focus on ensuring that women, children and vulnerable populations have access to appropriate WASH, health, education, and protection services.
BRAC is leveraging its extensive network of technical experts, seasoned field staff, and dedicated community health workers to quickly mobilise a comprehensive range of resources. We have 700 staff on the ground, including a number of community health workers and sanitation workers from the arriving and host communities, as well as engineers, doctors, paramedics and midwives providing active support as required.

11. With love, from Bangladesh- Sending children’s clothes to Cox’s Bazar
SEE FOR YOURSELF WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THE GROUND.
BRAC:
Here for good
FIND OUT MORE ON
With love, from Bangladesh- Sending children’s clothes to Cox’s Bazar
For more information please contact:
OPERATIONS
MEDIA
PRTNERSHIP
Bithun Mazid
Shararat Islam
Asif Kashem