World Refugee Day in the shadow of the pandemic
22.06.2020
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3 minutes
The situation of refugees all over the world is similarly dramatic and poignant. Syrians have been living in anxiety and fear for 10 years. They live in neighbouring countries, such as Jordan; often there is no place for them in the official refugee camps so they are forced to stay in informal camps that change their location depending on the season of the year and the possibility of finding a place to earn a living.
The Polish Medical Mission helps such refugees through the work of mobile clinics that reach the informal camps. The project that we are particularly proud of is our support to Syrian children who lost their feet or hands during the war in their country. So far, together with Syrian doctors, we have made more than 320 prostheses that have really brought some children back to life, enabled them to go to school and meet their peers.
Currently, the authorities in Caracas have announced the closure of the borders with Colombia for another 3 months. Desperate Venezuelans started crossing borders illegally to be able to buy food and medicines. They usually have money from their families who emigrated to various countries before the crisis, especially Colombia, but also to other Latin American countries and even Spain. It is estimated that 30% of the population receives money from relatives living abroad. The average transfer is between 30 and 50 dollars, but COVID-19 has limited the possibilities of such support.
2020 turned out to be a difficult year for people around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic. In refugee camps, the situation of the people living there is extremely difficult considering the overcrowded conditions in the camps they have to stay in. The virus transmission there may be as high as in Wuhan.
To date, 670,000 cases of coronavirus infection and 15,000 deaths have been recorded in the Eastern Mediterranean countries according to WHO data. This accounts for 10% of all cases worldwide. Without our help, these figures can quickly become much higher.
Find out more about our activities in Syria!
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