Concept Note BGD172: Emergency Assistance to the Rohingya Community in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh Concept Note Section 1: Overview of response Project Title Emergency Assistance to the Rohingya Community in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – BGD172 Location Bangladesh Refugee settlements/camps in Palonkhali Union, Ukhia Upazila 1 of Cox's Bazar District Project start date 15 October 2017 Duration of project 24 (months)/ 2 years Budget (USD) 3,541,249.25 (USD) Sector(s) Shelter / NFIs Food Security Health / Nutrition Protection/Psych osocial WASH Education Early recovery / Livelihoods Unconditional Cash Forum The ACT Bangladesh Forum Requesting members ● Christian Aid (CA) ● ICCO Cooperation ● DanChurchAid (DCA) ● Diakonia Local partners ● CA: Dhaka Ahsania Mission (DAM), Christian Commission for the Development of Bangladesh (CCDB) ● ICCO Cooperation: MUKTI Cox's Bazar ● DCA: COAST Trust ● Diakonia: Unite Theatre for Social Action (UTSA) Impact (overall objective) To improve living conditions of the Rohingya refugees Target beneficiaries 6,600 Rohingya Refugee HHs (x 6 2 = 39,600 individuals) who have entered Bangladesh since August 25, 2017. Estimated beneficiary disaggregated date based on Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) demographic assessment. Expected Outcome 1: Rohingya Communities met lifesaving needs of protection and food 1 An Upazila is a geographical region in Bangladesh used for administrative or other purposes. 2 6 persons per 1 household
6,600 Rohingya Refugee HHs (x 6 2= 39,600 individuals) who have enteredBangladeshsinceAugust25,2017.Estimated beneficiary disaggregated date based on Inter Sector CoordinationGroup(ISCG)demographicassessment.
violenceinMyanmarinthelast4weeks.Theextentandimplicationsremainuncertain.Closetohalf-a-million (429,000)3 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh since Aug 25, escaping violent attackscarriedoutbyMyanmartroopsandBuddhistvigilantes.
Thereisveryhighfluidityandinternalmobility,themajority of arrivals are still on themove,with more than 15,000 people coming ineveryday. The existing makeshift settlementsandrefugeecampsareexpandingsignificantly,meanwhile at least four new spontaneoussettlements(asofreportingdate)areformingandexpandingquickly,withsignificantnumberofpeopleareinflowingandbeingabsorbedbyhost communities as well. People aremakinghutswherever they find some spacebut theyare running out of space in the existingsettlements. Amajority of people are stayingin the open air, suffering from trauma,
exhaustion, sickness and hunger. Many people are arriving hungry, exhausted andwith no food orwater.Most of them havewalked 50/60 kilometers for up to six days and are in dire need of food,water,shelterandprotection.AccordingtoISCGsituationreporton8September,88deadbodieshavebeenfoundinthelast10days.The demand for food, shelter, water and basic hygiene support is not being met due to the sheernumberofpeopleinneed.Iffamiliescan’tmeettheirbasicneeds,thesufferingwillgetevenworseandmorelivescouldbelost.Morethan36,000children(agedoneorless)arethemostvulnerable.Theyarelivinginconditionsthatareprimeforthespreadofdiseases.OverallChallenges● Funding is urgently needed to support and scale up existing services and establish new services
arecausingsafetyandsecurityissuesandcongestionontheroads. ● Beneficiaries are still moving in search of more suitable locations to settle, which is making it
difficulttoprovidecomprehensiveassistance. ● Sectors require surge capacity including coordination and information management support. -
Informationonhumanitarian assistanceneeds to be sharedwidely andpromptlywith all people,including by through the establishment of information points, to guide newcomers to available
services. HumanitarianNeeds CapacitytoRespondAccording to the Multi-Sectoral Rapid Assessment(ICSG, Sept 17) the following humanitarian needsareidentified:FoodSecurity• Majority of new arrivals need immediatefood assistance, the main food source is what isshared by host communities and other UN andinternational organizations. In someblocks arrivalsreportedthattheyhavenoteatenfortwodays.• 90% of new arrivals are only having onemeal aday.Andalmost all donothavediversifieddiet.• Almostalldonothavesourceofincome.WASH:• Nearly 50% new arrival don’t have easyaccesstosafedrinkingwater.• Secondary contamination of safe drinkingwater is also a concern. Some have to walk onaverage 0.5 kilometers to collect safe drinkingwater• Limited space and congested area is bigchallengeforWASHfacilitiesinstallation.• Less than 25% new arrival have access tosanitarylatrineandwashrooms.• Open defecation is common amongarrivals.• There isnohygienematerial (soap, sandal,tooth paste/brush, water container andmenstrualhygienematerials)available.• Lack of awareness and hygienic practice iscommon,whichincreasestherisksthelikelihoodofdiseaseoutbreak.HealthandNutrition:• Lack of medical staff on the ground is achallenge.• Accordingtomedicalstaff,themainhealthconcernsonsite isphysical injuries, communicablediseases, antenatal care, reproductive health andS/GBVmanagement.• Some female reported they have beensuffering from skin disease due to lack of properbathing(mostofthecaseonceinaweek).• Womendonothaveprivateandsafespace
All the requesting members (CA, ICCOCooperation, DCA and Diakonia) with theirlocal implementing partners (CCDB, DAM,Mukti, Coast Trust and UTSA) are alreadyworking in the Rohingya crisis. All theimplementing partners have their offices inthe proposed area and are alreadydelivering some relief items. All agenciesinvolved have field, country and globalcapacities to work on the emergencysituations,includingrefugeecrisis.Christian Aid has extensive experience ofhelpingrefugeesacrosstheglobe.Forthreedecades,CApartnerTheBorderConsortium(TBC) has been the main provider of food,shelter and other forms of support to theBurmeserefugeeswhoarelivingincampsinwestern Thailand. CA support displacedpeopleinotherpartsoftheworldtoo,suchasGreece,SerbiaandinvariousareasoftheMiddle East. In Africa (South Sudan, Congoand Burundi), CA have been respondingthrough local partners standing next to therefugees.ICCO works to improve the access ofconflict-affected people to livelihoods anddurablesolutionstoenablethemtorestoretheir self-sufficiency and build resilience.ICCO Cooperation is also active in Syria,Jordan,LebanonandNorth-IraqthroughtheDutch Relief Alliance, a collaboration of 14Dutch NGO’s funded by the Ministry ofForeign Affairs of the Netherlands. InSoutheast Asia, ICCO also supportedrefugees and internally displaced peoplealong the border with Myanmar andThailand since 2002. ICCO is a boardmemberofTheBoarderConsortium(TBC),adevelopmentorganizationthatgivespeoplefromMyanmar food and shelter in refugeecamps.
forbreastfeeding.• Arrivals have little information regardinghowtoaccessnutritionsupplementassistanceShelter:• More than 90%new arrivals are staying inopen air, some under temporary sheds, without ashelter.• Shelters are overcrowded, withmore than10 people sharing a shelter. There is no sufficientspaceorprivacy for safe shelter, lackof accessiblepathwaystomovearound.• In light of bad weather conditions, manyareexposedintherain.• There are shelter materials like bambooand plastic sheeting available in the market,however thepriceare toohigh formajorityof thearrivals.Non-foodItem:• Refugeesneedcookingmaterial toprepareday-to-daymeals• Winter isapproachingwithinthenexttwo-three months. Rights holders will need warmclothesKeygapsinclude:• Across all sites, even in makeshiftsettlements with services provision on site, themajority of new arrivals have little knowledge ofhowtoaccessservicesorarenotawareofservicesavailable/providedonsite.• Almost all arrivals have no means ofincome. The majority do not have sufficienthousehold items, nor themoney to buy any itemstocookorsetupshelters.• EmergencyshelterandWASHfacilitieshavebeen identified as priorities across all sites(makeshiftsettlementsandspontaneoussites).• In existing makeshift settlements, around50% of new arrivals do not have safe and easyaccess to safe water, latrines and bathing space.Almostnonehasanyhygienematerialswiththem.• Across all sites itwas found thatwomenandgirlsdonothaveanypersonaldignity items.Lack of clothes/burka has become the mainreasonbeingreportedthatwomenfeelrestrictionofmovement.Lackofclothesarereportedacrossallassessedlocations.
DCA has long track record to supportrefugeecamps.DCAhasbeencontinuingitssupporttoaddressingthecrisisoftheplaceswhere receiving influxes from theneighbouring countries due to conflict andother reasons. DCA is supporting refugeecamps in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, andrecently in Bangladesh. As examples,together with its implementing partners,DCAhasbeenworkingwithvariousrefugeecamps including Jewi camp in Gambella(Ethiopia)withECHOfunding.DCAhasbeenleading agencies on sanitation and hygienepromotion in these camps where itsupported the repair, maintenance,decommissioning and replacement ofemergency latrines, communal latrines andshowers. DCA also provides support onWASH,food,shelteratotherrefugeecampsin Africa through partners (Uganda andSouth Sudan). DCA South Asia RegionalOffice also has a vast experience onmanaging humanitarian support to hugenumber of displaced people in theearthquake(2015)response.DCASouthAsiaRegionalOfficehasexpertiseonWASH,foodsecurity and psychosocial sector. In thisRohingya crisis, DCA is working at thegroundtosupportRohingyarefugeepeopleinCox’sBazar.DCAisprovidingfood,sheltersupportto2700refugeefamiliesthroughitspartnerCOASTTrust.COASTTrustisalocallyoriginated NGO which focuses in Cox’sBazar. COAST has a well set-up in refugeecamps areas, they are providing cookedfood, food items, WASH arrangement andmedicalsupportamongtherefugeepeople.COASThasdeployedagoodnumberstafftoimplement their operation in refugeecamps.Diakonia has an extensive record ofhumanitarian work and since foundationin 1966, gained substantial experience inhelping people affected by disasters andconflict. For three decades, Diakoniapartners TheBorder Consortium (TBC) onthe Thailand-Myanmar border to provide
humanitarianaidtoBurmeserefugeesin9camps. Diakonia has also supporteddisplaced people in other parts of theworldsuchasLebanon.Diakonia’spartnerUTSA is the pioneer organization onpsychosocial care support in Bangladeshand has been working on it issues since1997. By using this approach UTSA hassuccessfully responded in differenthumanitarian crisis, such as: Cyclone Sidr,CycloneAila,RanaPlaza tragedy,Mirsaraitragedy, Rangamati land slide, etc. UTSAhas been working as a local partner ofDiakoniaBangladeshsince2011.
ProposedresponseDoes the proposed response honour ACT’s commitment to ChildSafeguarding?
�Yes �No
ACT requesting agencieswill closely collaborate among one another to provide comprehensive Food,WASH,Shelter,healthandnutritionsupportacrossthetargetedgeographicareas.TheywilllookatjointprogrammingorresourcesharingaroundCoreHumanitarianStandardintheresponseprogrammestoensureaccountabilitytoaffectedpopulation,specificallycommonmessagesandinformationprovisiontothecommunityandexplorejointcomplaintresponseandfeedbackmechanismswhentheresponsematures/after 3months. In addition, agencieswill look at joint programming aroundprotection andPsycho-socialsupport.TheproposedresponsewillbebasedontheneedsassessmentofInterSectoralCoordinationgroup.Moreover,staffcapacitybuilding,securitytrainingsandinformationsharingwillbecarriedout jointlyamongsttherequestingmemberstomakebetteruseofnationaland localpartner-levelresourcesandsynergyinprocurement.Thisapproachwillinturnimprovethecostefficiencyoftheresponse.CoordinationmeetingsamongstForummemberswillnotonlyensurethattherearenogapsandduplications inserviceprovision for the targetedaffectedpopulation,butwillalsocreateaspacewherememberswillshareexperiencesanddrawlessonslearnedtoimproveprogramminginrealtime.Thememberswill also keepa close liaisonwith thedistrict administrationandother campmanagingstakeholders(IOM,WFP,ACFetc.)sothattheoperationisdoneinaverycoordinatedwayThe intervention will work on improving living conditions of the Rohingya refugees, by providingcomprehensive support of emergency food, emergency shelter, NFI, livelihood,WASH facilities andaddressing theemergencymedicalneedsamong6,600HHs.Suchcomprehensive supportwill go tothe same refugees and in line with the recommendation of Inter Sector Coordination Group ofBangladeshoncampmanagementandreliefdistribution.CoordinationAll requestingmembers are committed to continue to coordinate together through theBangladeshforum. The activitieswill be coordinated through the established clusters. The forummemberswillwork very closelywith the ISCG and theGovernment of Bangladesh. Act forummemberswill havetheirowninternalcoordinationledbyChristianAid.TherequestingmemberswillalsocoordinatewithACTmembersinMyanmarspeciallywithCA,ICCO
CooperationandDCA’sMyanmarofficesaswellasshareprojectcommunicationmaterials includingbeneficiary testimonials, success stories and photographs, disseminating the voices of thecommunitiesthroughperiodicreportswithACTAllianceregional.Basicimplementationplan
MonitoringandevaluationThe interventionwill dobothprogress and impactmonitoring.Regulardistributionof emergency kitsandfoodpackageswillbemonitoredbytherequestingmembers.Moreover,inordertoseetheimpactoftheinterventionanevaluationwilltakeplacethroughsurveys,HHsvisits,focusgroup(womengroup)discussions.The quality and transparency of the distributionwill be ensured by a) participation/formation of thebeneficiariescommitteesb)establishingandprocessingthecomplaintsmechanism.The local implementing partners will conduct regular (weekly, result based) monitoring. Based onmonitoring,campvisits,HHssurveys,theprojectwillproducemonthly/quarterlyreports. Allagencieswill usemobile based tools (AKVO Flow, KOBO,MAGPIE) for quality ofmonitoring and evaluation inaccordancewiththeACTmonitoringguidelines.Moreover,theresponsewillbeguidedbytheprinciplesof humanity, impartiality and non-discrimination and will focus especially on the most vulnerable.Regarding standard of packages, accountability and transparency the project will be guided by CoreHumanitarianStandard(CHS),Sphere,ISCGandclusterguidelines.
Please note that as part of the revised ACT Humanitarian Mechanism, pledges/contributions areencouragedtobemadethroughtheconsolidatedbudgetofthecountryforum,andallocationswillbemadebasedonagreedcriteriaoftheforum.Foranypossibleearmarking,budgetdetailspermembercan be found in Annex 5 (Summary Table), or upon request from the ACT Secretariat. Forpledges/contributions, please refer to the spreadsheet accessible through this linkhttp://reports.actalliance.org/. The ACT spreadsheet provides an overview of existingpledges/contributionsandassociatedearmarkingfortheappeal.Please inform theHead of Finance andAdministration, LineHempel ([email protected])and Senior Finance Officer, Lorenzo Correa ([email protected]) with a copy to theRegional Programme Officer James Munpa ([email protected]), of allpledges/contributionsandtransfers,includingfundssentdirecttotherequestingmembers.WewouldappreciatebeinginformedofanyintenttosubmitapplicationsforEU,USAIDand/orotherbackdonorfundingandthesubsequentresults.Wethankyouinadvanceforyourkindcooperation.Forfurtherinformationpleasecontact:ACTRegionalRepresentative,AnoopSukumaran([email protected])ACTRegionalProgrammeOfficer,PhichetMunpa([email protected])
