Dear Supporter,
Firstly, I would like to extend deep gratitude for your ongoing support of Australia for UNHCR and for refugees around the world.
Like all Australians, I have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic, and I know it’s having a real impact on so many of us – our plans for the future, our friends and families, our day-to-day lives.
When it comes to addressing this virus, it’s clear we’re all only as safe as those members of our community who are most at risk, and that’s why keeping up our work in a way that’s safe and healthy is so important. After a trial last week, our team in Sydney is progressing to all teams working from home. That means we may take a little longer to get back to you than usual – and it might take a bit of extra patience from all of us. We’ve taken the difficult decision of postponing our annual World Refugee Day breakfast scheduled for June – as well as showcasing inspiring refugee stories, it’s a major fundraising event for the UN Refugee Agency and a real celebration of refugees, so we are making plans to hold the event later in the year. In the meantime, we are developing new initiatives to keep our supporters connected to our work and refugees globally through webcasts, online film events and more – stay tuned. Speaking about the crisis, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said, “For many people around the world, everyday life has come to a standstill, or is being transformed in ways that we had never envisaged. But wars and persecution have not stopped.”
In a global health emergency like this, it’s often the most vulnerable people who suffer most. Refugee settlements, in particular, are often crowded, with weaker water and sanitation systems and medical facilities that are already stretched, making them environments where it’s going to be tough to prevent, control and treat the virus. Around the world, the UN Refugee Agency’s humanitarian teams are standing up and taking action with refugees: In Lebanon, our teams are working around the clock to pilot isolation facilities in the Bekaa Valley, as well as expanding intensive care facilities at hospitals At Za’atari in Jordan, refugee women are making much needed soap using natural materials, including colours and perfumes, for use by refugees in the camp In Kenya, our teams are working closely with local authorities to roll out hygiene campaigns at the Kakuma camp, increase water supply and ready health clinics to screen and respond. Having just returned from Ethiopia a few weeks ago, I saw first hand the challenges refugees face in confronting the possibility of a pandemic without even basic things likes water or soap, let alone medical equipment and supplies.
That said, I have seen refugee communities work together to successfully combat Ebola, SARS and cholera – our job is to give them the necessary support to do it.
Our humanitarian staff are urgently working to get refugee communities prepared in an incredibly fast-moving situation – but budgets are stretched and the scale of the challenge is immense.
Supporter, please know that your generous donations are incredibly important, and they are making a real difference in the lives of people who have been forced to flee their homes.
On behalf of all our team members, I want to thank you again for your ongoing support for refugees, and for the heartfelt messages of support we’ve received from so many of you. It gives us confidence we can overcome this challenge together.
Kind regards, Naomi Steer
National Director P.S. If you have any questions or concerns, please email our Donor Care team on info@unrefugees.org.au (email is best for now, but feel free to ask for a phone call back). |
