Humanity & Inclusion’s teams and the disability self-help group visited the most isolated families in the Umpiem Mai refugee camp in Thailand to give individuals information on the threat from COVID-19 and how they can protect themselves from it.

Ma Yin Maung, 37, who has an intellectual disability was initially very worried about the epidemic: "I didn't even dare leave my home to buy food,” she says. “I was scared and couldn't get straightforward information about it.”

The information she received from Humanity & Inclusion’s teams reassured her immediately. Our teams also gave her a hygiene kit with two masks, soap, and small posters about the virus.

“After Humanity & Inclusion’s information session, I felt confident enough to walk around the camp wearing a mask and buy items I need every day. HI also gave me a prevention kit, which is extremely useful for me and my family," she adds.

Focus on the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, Humanity & Inclusion donors ensure that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--they need to stay healthy. Learn more about Humanity & Inclusion's vast COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.

As part of its response to the COVID-19 crisis in Sri Lanka, Humanity & Inclusion has provided financial assistance to some of the country’s most vulnerable families, allowing them to meet their basic needs such as buying food. 

Sri Lanka has been seriously affected by COVID-19 and the lockdown imposed by the authorities to limit the spread of the virus. This has severely disrupted the livelihoods of many households with disastrous consequences for the poorest families, including women with disabilities, who already live in precarious conditions.

We’ve provided financial support to more than 1,000 vulnerable families. Logini Niksankumar, 36, was one of the women assisted financially by Humanity & Inclusion. Logini lives in Jaffna with her husband and two children. Her arm was injured in a bomb attack in 1995 during the country’s civil war. The wound was not properly treated and she had to have part of her arm amputated. The lockdown had a serious impact on her business, and she found Humanity & Inclusion’s support extremely helpful.

“It has been a tough few months and Humanity & Inclusion’s assistance was a big help,” says Logini. “One of the things we could buy was food.”

Working in partnership with local Sri Lankan organizations, Humanity & Inclusion’s team supported a project in northern Sri Lanka that aims to help the most vulnerable people, including women with disabilities, meet their basic needs, such as buying food and paying the rent.

Focus on the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, Humanity & Inclusion donors ensure that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--they need to stay healthy. Learn more about Humanity & Inclusion's vast COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.

Humanity & Inclusion has worked in Madagascar for more than thirty years. Our teams have successfully developed an inclusive and solidarity education program which ensures the most vulnerable students, including children with disabilities, are enrolled in school. In 2019, 1,349 girls and boys with disabilities, vulnerable children, and students at risk of exclusion or dropout returned to school in the regions of Boeny, in the west of the island, and Diana, in the north.

Our teams are now working to better protect students and teachers from the spread of COVID-19 in Madagascar. As part of a consortium[1], the organization has launched a project to supply 21 schools with disinfection and protection equipment and products and is now actively supporting the Malagasy education system to help communities cope with the spread of COVID-19. Since May, the Malagasy authorities have organized workshops on the COVID-19 protocol with school staff to ensure personal protection measures are implemented.

We launched our activities in the north of the island in schools in the Betsbiboka and Boeny region. Together with local authority officials[2], Humanity & Inclusion has trained officers to disinfect beneficiary schools.

In total, 56 people have been trained to disinfect school premises in 21 schools in the communes of Ambatoboeny, Berivotra, and Maevatanana.

Donation of equipment to the project's target schools

Every classroom in each school will be supplied with hand-washing kits containing a bucket with a tap, soap, and informational posters on personal protection measures.

These schools will also be supplied with school-cleaner kits containing disinfectants and protective equipment. The kit can be used to disinfect all classrooms for up to 50 days.

Informing the community

COVID-19 awareness announcements are also being broadcast on the local station Varatraza to help inform the community of these measures.[3]

Focus on the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, Humanity & Inclusion donors ensure that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--they need to stay healthy. Learn more about Humanity & Inclusion's vast COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.

[1] Humanity & Inclusion is leading the MIARO project, funded by European Union Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, in consortium with CARE International.

[2] The trainers are representatives of the Regional Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene divisions.

[3] The Regional OCC (Operational Command Center coordinating the fight against the COVID-19), with support from Humanity & Inclusion.

Families of children with disabilities in Dadaab refugee camp are particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 crisis. They can no longer afford to buy the food they need to survive.

Hamze is a four-year-old refugee with cerebral palsy. He lives in Dadaab and Humanity & Inclusion’s physical therapists have provided him with rehabilitation care since birth. His mother, Maryann, was also born in the camp in 1999, after her parents fled the war in Somalia. Her husband left her when Hamze was born and she now raises her child alone.

Every week, Hamze and Maryann attend rehabilitation sessions in the orthopedic-fitting center run by Humanity & Inclusion in the camp. Maryann is learning to provide her son with the care he needs to protect his health and well-being. Our team has given Hamze a splint to prevent knee joint contractures and a specially adapted wheelchair to support his posture as he moves around.

Since March and the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, Humanity & Inclusion has also been teaching Maryann how to protect her family against the virus. She now understands the need to take precautions such as regular hand washing and wearing a face mask in public.

“Humanity & Inclusion has provided me with information on the steps to take to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in the camp,” she explains. “It's a deadly disease that can affect anyone.”

She and her parents are extremely poor and depend on humanitarian aid from Humanity & Inclusion and other NGOs to survive. Before the epidemic, she used to clean her neighbors' houses.

"Unfortunately, my neighbors are also afraid of getting sick, so I can’t work there anymore. I no longer earn an income, and I cannot feed my son and my parents," she adds.

This loss of income only adds to the problems experienced by Maryann. Her son has special needs because of his illness and she can no longer afford to buy him milk. Food has become expensive in the camp.

Maryann thanks Humanity & Inclusion for the daily support the organization provides to people with disabilities in the camp, helping them meet their needs in these difficult times.

Focus on the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, Humanity & Inclusion donors ensure that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--they need to stay healthy. Learn more about Humanity & Inclusion's vast COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.

In Lomé, the capital of Togo, COVID-19 restrictions have made the lives of homeless people even more difficult—many of which are children and single mothers. Humanity & Inclusion’s teams visit the streets at night to assist them as their precarious living conditions have worsened. We recently checked in with one of Humanity & Inclusion’s staff members Eli Koffi Afossogb who shares more about our outreach in Lomé:

Assisting the homeless

Humanity & Inclusion launched a series of actions to promote the basic hygiene of homeless people in Lomé and supply them with food aid, and to help reassure the rest of the population about their state of health. In the future, our actions will include opening two centers for the most vulnerable, including children, isolated women, and people with disabilities, where they can get a health check and psychosocial support. Two mobile teams visit neighborhoods at night to provide consultations. Our goal is to help 3,000 people.

Earning an income doing odd jobs & begging

At least 15,000 people live on the streets of Lomé, a city of two million inhabitants. Many are children, teenagers, and single mothers with young children. Before the pandemic, they often earned money doing odd jobs at the Grand Marché in Lomé, such as carrying groceries or parcels for customers or traders. Begging was an important source of income for them, enabling them to just about survive.

Businesses on lockdown

As a result of the curfew and the restrictions put in place from March to May to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Grand Marché was closed and the homeless lost their source of income. Although the restrictions were lifted in June, the recovery has been slow. There are fewer odd jobs to do. People who are afraid of them because they see them as potential vectors of disease are more reluctant to give them money when they beg, leading to a serious deterioration in their living conditions.

Not enough to eat

Restaurants were also forced to close for two months. Many homeless people used to eat what restaurants threw out. Only some of the restaurants have reopened, leading to a spike in cases of undernourishment.

Desperate & overwhelmed children

Some homeless people have been forced from the places where they used to sleep. Before the curfew, a group of children aged between nine and 15-years-old used to sleep near the post office. Now they spend the night on the pavement. Some are at risk of sexual abuse. We have seen children overwhelmed by fear and despair.

Focus on the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, Humanity & Inclusion donors ensure that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--they need to stay healthy. Learn more about Humanity & Inclusion's vast COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.

Humanity & Inclusion has resumed its activities in Cambodia, which include COVID-19 awareness-raising, rehabilitation care, and inclusive employment.

Humanity & Inclusion’s team recently organized COVID-19 informational sessions for 30 disability organizations in 13 provinces in Cambodia all in partnership with WaterAid and Cambodian Organizations for People with Disabilities.

After suspending other projects, our teams recently resumed training on inclusive employment, and mother and child health. Our COVID-19 awareness sessions for villagers are limited to 15 people, in line with prevention measures including temperatures being taken upon arrival. Everyone is also expected to respect social distancing rules and wear a mask.

Humanity & Inclusion’s team is working hard to ensure that beneficiaries perform rehabilitation exercises while safe at home. Srun Vimean, a physical therapist at HI, shares concerns about the quality of these sessions performed without a physical therapist:

"Patients who exercise at home may not have a lot of time and can forget the instructions we give them. There are no physical therapists present to correct them. Patients were recently able to return to HI’s rehabilitation center, which is a big improvement, but they are still not allowed to sleep there for security reasons. This makes it extremely complicated for some patients who live far from the center and need to rush back home. We are currently looking at ways to provide virtual rehabilitation sessions.”

Focus on the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, Humanity & Inclusion donors ensure that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--they need to stay healthy. Learn more about Humanity & Inclusion's vast COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.

Aruwa is six years old. She lives with her mother, her uncle, and her siblings in the Kakuma refugee camp. Her mother does not work, and the family is completely dependent on humanitarian organizations. On top of their daily struggles, the family is also worried about Aruwa's health. The little girl has developed genu valgum, a deformity of the lower limbs. Her legs were bowed which made it difficult for her to move and run around with other children.

That is, until she met Humanity & Inclusion. Our team arranged for Aruwa to have surgery, and since then, her life has changed drastically. With support from Stella, Humanity & Inclusion’s physical therapist, she can now move around on crutches. After each rehabilitation session with our team, Aruwa becomes more and more self-reliant.

Aruwa's physical therapist also teaches her how to protect herself from COVID-19.

Today, Aruwa was invited to our rehabilitation center for a different reason: a COVID-19 prevention session. Stella teaches her how to wash her hands, wear a mask, and apply social distancing rules. The Kakuma refugee camp has not slipped under the pandemic’s radar. Quite the opposite. The overcrowding, lack of hygiene, equipment, and resources to fight the spread of the disease are aggravating risk factors.

"I first heard about COVID-19 on the radio and when HI's physical therapist came to our home to treat Aruwa,” says Crouch Abdalla, Aruwa’s uncle who accompanies his niece to the center. “It's a serious disease that spreads very quickly. I haven't met anyone infected by it in the camp yet, but I know it kills a lot of people and I don't want anyone in my family or community to get it.”

The pandemic makes life in the refugee camp even more difficult and precarious. 

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, life in the Kakuma refugee camp has been increasingly tough. "I arrived from Sudan in August 2014 and have been living here ever since,” her uncle continues. “We are always short of water and sometimes we have to fetch it from the neighboring camp, which is far from here. We drink even more now to protect ourselves.

“Many agencies have closed because of COVID-19, and it is difficult to find work and supplement our supplies, eat a balanced diet and find clothes for the family. It is incredibly stressful. I hope that after the end of the pandemic, when they lift the restrictions on our movements, we can go to work again, and the children can go back to school. I’m glad Humanity & Inclusion has been able to continue its work here and that Aruwa still benefits from the rehabilitation services. I really value the fact that she can do her exercises once a week, just like before! I also appreciate the information and training we receive from the HI team on COVID 19. It’s extremely useful!"

Aruwa knows exactly what she wants to do after COVID-19. 

"When the pandemic is over, I want to go back to school and learn, because when I grow up, I want to massage and rehabilitate other people. I also want to be able to play with my friends again like I used to," she says shyly but with determination.

Focus on the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, Humanity & Inclusion donors ensure that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--they need to stay healthy. Learn more about Humanity & Inclusion's vast COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.

Humanity & Inclusion works in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, where COVID-19 is spreading at an alarming rate.

South Asia has seen a worrying jump in COVID-19 cases, particularly in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The situation has made it especially difficult for the most vulnerable individuals to access health care and humanitarian aid.

India: the world’s fourth worst-affected country

According to the World Health Organization, COVID-19 is spreading at an alarming rate in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Out of 565,000 confirmed cases, more than 330,000 were recorded in India, the world’s fourth worst-affected country.

Two powerful typhoons: Amphan and Nisarga

May 13, India and Bangladesh were also hit by Typhoon Amphan, affecting 71 million people, mainly in West Bengal, and Odisha in India. India was hit by another typhoon, Nisarga, on June 3. Due to social distancing guidelines, lack of space in evacuation centers, and other factors, the COVID-19 crisis further complicated evacuation efforts. Natural disasters considerably increase vulnerability during an epidemic.

India: risk prevention

The situation is particularly worrying in India, where more than 330,000 people have been affected by the epidemic. More than 70% of people with disabilities have experienced problems due to the lockdown and travel restrictions, including financial issues, difficulties accessing services, food, and the like . According to the International Labour Organization , as a result of the pandemic, some 400 million workers in the informal economy are at risk of falling deeper into poverty. They include more than 100 million migrant workers in India who have lost their jobs due to the lockdown and been forced to return to their region of origin, depriving their families of sometimes vital financial support. The situation is therefore likely to further increase inequalities in a country with a population of 1.3 billion, and more than 190 million undernourished people.

Humanity & Inclusion is currently identifying the needs of people with disabilities in India and, in partnership with SPHERE INDIA, trains local organizations to be inclusive in their projects. Our team also translated COVID-19 prevention messages into sign language for individuals with hearing disabilities.

Bangladesh: rehabilitation and psychological support

In Bangladesh, more than 90,000 cases of contamination have been reported, although the actual figure is likely to be higher, given the country’s limited testing capacity. According to the World Food Program, around a quarter of the population—more than 160 million people—is food insecure, and one in three children have stunted growth due to acute malnutrition. The lockdown is likely to have a disastrous social and economic impact.

In Bangladesh, and particularly in the Rohingya refugee camps, Humanity & Inclusion continues to provide rehabilitation and psychological support, and socio-economic support (through livestock breeding schemes, cash transfers, etc.) to more than 300 families. We also remotely assists some 1,400 people with disabilities, sharing advice on their sexual and reproductive lives. Our teams help train partner organizations to ensure they are inclusive to people with disabilities, so that no one is left on the sidelines.

In response to rumors currently circulating in Rohingya refugee camps, the organization provides local people with information on the risk of contamination and how to protect themselves from it. Lastly, Humanity & Inclusion helps transport equipment to remote areas. We’ve supplied humanitarian organizations with 169 trucks and transported 653 tons of humanitarian supplies to refugee camps and storage centers.

Pakistan: food distribution and awareness-raising

The situation is very worrying in Pakistan. There has been a significant increase in the number of recorded cases (more than 140,000) and deaths in recent weeks. Lockdown measures have not been implemented.

Humanity & Inclusion continues to operate in Pakistan. A project providing support to health centers in Afghan refugee camps in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has been adapted by raising the COVID-19 risk awareness of health unit staff in refugee camps and local communities. Our team has also distributed food to the most vulnerable people, including children and young women with disabilities.

Focus on the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, Humanity & Inclusion donors ensure that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--they need to stay healthy. Learn more about Humanity & Inclusion's vast COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.

As of June 29, more than 206,500 people have contracted COVID-19 in Pakistan, a country with one of the world’s most highest daily infection rates. Pakistan has not implemented lockdown measures, which makes the situation particularly concerning.

Humanity & Inclusion donors are assisting the most vulnerable individuals, including Afghan refugees. Their generosity has enabled distributions of food kits, as well as hygiene and prevention kits, to families who need it most in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Peshawar and Peshawar districts. Donors have placed such essential supplies in the homes of 1,840 families.

Teams are sharing information with Pakistani children and their parents about the risks of COVID-19 and how to stay safe. We’re also spreading awareness messages in Afghan refugee camps and making sure that health professionals working with vulnerable populations know how to protect themselves and the individuals they work with.

In the video below, Angelina Robinson, Humanity & Inclusion's Director in Pakistan, tells the story of a beneficiary who could not take her sick child to the hospital due to her disability and the ongoing pandemic.

Focus on the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, Humanity & Inclusion donors ensure that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--they need to stay healthy. Learn more about Humanity & Inclusion's vast COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.

When Sonia was two-years-old, she contracted meningitis, causing her to have hearing loss and blindness and one eye. Today, the 19-year-old attends a college that is adapted to her specific needs, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Sonia is in her third year, studying for a diploma in hospitality. Once she’s finished with her studies, she hopes to open her own restaurant. But like many other students with disabilities, she’s concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic will affect her plans for the future.

Living in poverty

Sonia lives with her mother and seven brothers and sisters nearly 19 miles from the country's capital, Ouagadougou, where she studies hospitality. During the academic year, she lives with a host family next to her college.

Her family is extremely poor. Sonia's mother grows vegetables on a plot of land and breeds a few animals. She extracts sand and gravel, and sells it in the city. Her brothers and sisters work in the fields. During breaks from school, Sonia helps take care of the peanut crop.

Attending college and learning a trade

Sonia will soon earn her diploma in hospitality, but her classes have been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her school was closed for two months and now she is worried about her future. "It's difficult for a hard-of-hearing person like me to find a job because it’s not easy to communicate,” Sonia says. “When people don't understand what you're saying, or when they think you can't understand, they automatically pigeonhole you without thinking about what you are capable of."

Sonia often struggles to communicate with her host family in Ouagadougou. The family goes the extra mile to make her feel welcome, but they find it difficult to communicate because no one in the family knows sign language.

Obstacles to self-reliance

Living in a large city with heavy traffic is a challenge for Sonia. She's afraid to travel without help. “I find it frightening when I move around by myself, especially on a bike, because of my disability. If someone blows their horn, I can't hear it and my vision is also very limited. I can ride my bike in the village, but in the city, it's very difficult for me.”

School closure: future in jeopardy?

Schools and colleges were closed for two months to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 and have only just reopened. Sonia's was no exception.

“I’m wondering how the college closure is going to impact on my future. I have to take an exam this year and I don't want to miss it. I'm trying very hard to succeed. My future depends on this college. I really need my diploma. Besides, I miss my courses and my classmates!"

After her diploma, Sonia plans to make her dream a reality by setting up and managing a small restaurant.

Humanity & Inclusion works to protect the most vulnerable 

As COVID-19 takes aim at our planet's most vulnerable neighbors, we're ensuring that people with disabilities, people with injuries from conflict, children, women, and especially older people have the information--and even the soap--to stay healthy. Learn more about our COVID-19 response.

Begin a monthly gift today to help sustain this work and reach as many people as possible.