Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

FROM THE FIELD

Myanmar Refugees Flee to Thailand to Escape Violence; ADRA Provides Health Services
26 Aug 2009 13:50:00 GMT
 Source: Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International
Nadia McGill

Website: Website: http://www.adra.org

219487 logo
Previous | Next

ADRA International/Emily Harding

Background

•  Myanmar troubles

•  AIDS pandemic

•  Health and diseases

•  Chikungunya

MORE >>
SILVER SPRING, Md.--A recent surge in armed fighting has caused more than 3,000 villagers in Myanmar's mountainous eastern Karen State to flee across the border into Thailand in search of peace and security, reported the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

To meet the needs of thousands of new refugees who have been displaced from their homes in Pa'an District, ADRA is working with other non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, local government authorities and local partners in Thailand to ensure that they receive adequate access to basic health services.

"With the rainy season in full swing, heavy rainfall is common," said Marc-Andre Hensel, programs director for ADRA Thailand. "The wet climate encourages the spread of respiratory diseases and infections that need to be treated quickly and correctly."

Between July 17 and July 26, ADRA distributed hygiene items to more than 3,300 people in temporary camps in Nong Bua and Mae Usu, in Tha Song Yang District, in Thailand's northern Tak Province. Through the intervention, ADRA transported and distributed basic supplies, including a total of 1,807 pounds (820 kilograms) of washing powder, more than 3,300 bars of soap, and 3,155 tubes of toothpaste. This distribution was the first to provide hygiene materials for the recently settled refugees since they first began to arrive in early June.

ADRA has also begun providing medical supplies for outpatient clinics at the Nong Bua and Mae Usu sites, in order to increase access to valuable health care in the region. Items include antibiotics, antiseptics, anti-malarial drugs, painkillers, and medical equipment, and are designed to meet the needs of beneficiaries for one month.

"We want to ensure that those who are sick and in need of medical treatment receive the right medication and care that they need to avoid any complications and stop the spread of communicable diseases," said Hensel.

After assessing each refugee group, ADRA, in cooperation with medical teams, will identify those that are most in need of medical assistance. In line with the regulations set up by health cluster partners, ADRA will exclusively target refugees that have received registration by the Thai authorities. Special attention will be provided for children, women, and the elderly, as they are generally more vulnerable to diseases and infections.

Each targeted site will be visited at least two or three times a week. In locations that are only accessible by foot, ADRA staff, medics, and volunteers will have to carry the supplies through the forest and rocky terrain to the distribution sites.

Funding this response is ADRA International, the ADRA Asia Regional Office located in Bangkok, Thailand, and ADRA Thailand.

ADRA's primary partners in this response include the International Rescue Committee, the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees, the Global Health Access Program. To ensure the successful implementation of this project, ADRA also worked in coordination with the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, and SOLIDARITES.

ADRA Thailand, which is headquartered in the northern city of Chiang Mai, has been well known for its programs in the areas of anti-human trafficking, opium rehabilitation, and tsunami relief and recovery. ADRA Thailand's main portfolios include water and sanitation, food security, economic development, education, health, and disaster relief.

ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.

For more information, visit www.adra.org.


[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Email this article       Send comments

Topics

•  Health

•  Refugees & displacement

MORE >>

Emergencies

•  Myanmar troubles

MORE >>

Members

•  Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) International

MORE >>

NGO latest

•  Myanmar Refugees Flee to Thailand to Escape Violence; ADRA Provides Health Services
ADRA - International

•  Popular ADRA Refugee Experience Hosts Thousands
ADRA - International

•  ChildFund Australia launches appeal for children in Sri Lanka's IDP camps
ChildFund Australia

•  UMCOR Hotline for August 25, 2009
UMCOR - USA

•  Medical Teams International Awarded Grant to Help Darfur Families in Sudan
Medical Teams International - USA

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Statement of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, on passing away of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy

•  PHILIPPINES: "Rebels and troops violated rights"

•  Northern CAR: Isolated families call for basic security - and clean drinking water

•  Iran reports its first H1N1 flu death - state radio

•  INTERVIEW-Bangladesh rebel seeks troop pullout from tribal belt

MORE >>

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Background information

Briefings
Myanmar troubles - [Who works where]

Topics
Health Refugees & displacement
Facts & figures
Myanmar (formerly Burma) Thailand
Statistics graphs
Human development index ranking (2005)
Chart for Human development index ranking
View more stats

Related articles

Breaking stories
 Statement of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres, on passing away of U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy (1 minute ago)

PHILIPPINES: "Rebels and troops violated rights" (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Give elders a say in East African justice, report urges (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Myanmar Refugees Flee to Thailand to Escape Violence; ADRA Provides Health Services (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 Camp below the cliffs, home for new Myanmar refugees (1 minute ago)

Maps
 IDP Shelter Map: Veerapuram, Sumathipura & Maha kongaskada Camps, Vavuniya District, Sri Lanka (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-08-26T060640Z_01_DBG206_RTRIDSP_2_CANCER-TOBACCO_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DBG206.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-08-26T060238Z_01_DBG205_RTRIDSP_2_CANCER-TOBACCO_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DBG205.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-08-25T095050Z_01_NAK204_RTRIDSP_2_THAILAND_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/NAK204.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-08-24T065009Z_01_MAN502_RTRIDSP_2_PHILIPPINES_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/MAN502.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-08-22T132157Z_01_BAN04_RTRIDSP_2_THAILAND-SOUTH_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/BAN04.htm

An elderly Chinese man smokes a cigarette in front of an old temple in a Hutong in central Beijing August 26, 2009. Tobacco use will kill 6 million people next year ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Wed Aug 26 13:54:15 2009