Arming Vulnerable Populations against COVID-19 Infections

20th April 2020

As communities across Chin State race to take measures to protect themselves from the spread of COVID-19, local organizations are also stepping up efforts to fill the gaps by reaching out to some of the most vulnerable groups in their midst who are at high risk of contracting the viral disease.

An ambitious but much needed effort is being undertaken by the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) as part of its Emergency COVID-19 Response Activities under the Twe Let project in collaboration with its local partners based in each of all the 9 townships in the State.

Supported by the multi-donor group Livelihoods and Food Security Fund (LIFT), local youth and women groups are active on the frontline raising awareness on COVID-19 and distributing educational materials and basic sanitary items such as soaps and hand sanitizers, and building hand-washing stations for migrant laborers working in road construction while encamping on the road sides along some of the main roads in Burma’s least developed region. The target population also includes Internally Displaced Persons who have relocated from Paletwa Township to avoid fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and Burmese military.

Deputy Manager of the Twe Let Project Sang Uk Lian said, “Because of the very serious risks posed by the COVID-19 global pandemic, we are trying our best to do everything in our limited capacity to take prevention programs by diverting our resource and energy to COVID-19 response measures.” The Twe Let Project, which is being run under the Peace, Development and Democratization Program of CHRO, focuses on migration and labor issues in Chin State.

One of the first two cases of COVID-19 cases in Burma was reported from Chin State. The patient was diagnosed with the deadly viral disease upon returning from the United States to his native homeland for a visit in March. A little more than 100 positive cases have so far been confirmed in the country.#