Bangladesh - Humanitarian Response to the Rohingya Refugee Crisis - Canadian Red Cross 2017

August 2017 - Following an attack by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on military and police posts in Rakhine State on August 25 2017 the Myanmar military initiated a severe crackdown on the Rohingya population. The resulting violence caused more than 530 000 Rohingya people to flee to Bangladesh the majority being women and children. This mass migration triggered a humanitarian crisis of such a scale that concerted international action is urgently required. With GAC’s support the Canadian Red Cross is dispatching relief supplies from warehouses in Dubai to support emergency relief operations for refugees in Bangladesh. The relief supplies are helping to meet the immediate needs of up to 2 000 families affected by the crisis. Supplies include tarpaulins to provide temporary shelter hygiene kits (which include items such as soap and toothbrushes) and containers to safely transport water.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased access to temporary shelter; and (2) increased access to basic household items. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved suffering alleviated and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or acute food insecurity.