DUBAI, United Arab Emirate, July 17 (NNN-WAM) – UAE’s contribution to assist more than 133,000 Rohingya refugees, hailed by the UN Refugees Agency, as the UNHCR concluded its emergency nutrition project in Bangladesh.
The UN Refugee Agency has assisted nearly 133,000 Rohingya refugees through an integrated nutrition project, thanks to generous financial support from the United Arab Emirates.
The project, which was managed and implemented by UNHCR and partners in Bangladesh, aimed to address malnutrition among vulnerable Rohingya refugees, living in camps and new settlements located in the areas of Ukhia and Teknaf in Cox’s Bazaar District, south of Bangladesh.
The contribution from the UAE, worth DH 7.35 million (US$ 2 million), to support “Emergency nutrition for Rohingya women and children refugees in Bangladesh” allowed UNHCR and partners to significantly scale up its nutrition programmes; from three centres, prior to the Aug, 2017, influx, to 31 centres by the end of 2018.
This includes efforts to establish, equip, and activate 22 health facilities, including Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding Programmes (OTPs) and Blanket Supplementary Feeding Programmes for children under five years old and pregnant and lactating women (PLW).
Through this programme, UNHCR was able to put in place a number of life-saving malnutrition prevention interventions, to treat severe and moderate malnutrition.
Around 600 community nutrition outreach volunteers were recruited and trained, to advocate for healthy eating and regular nutrition screening, and to provide referral and follow-up on children already enrolled in nutrition programmes. A total of 17,193 children aged six to 59 months were admitted for treatment and follow up.
The UAE is a valued supporter of UNHCR in a number of humanitarian crises.– NNN-WAM
