On Thursday the 15 July 2021, Indonesia entered the worst-case scenario in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.  An additional 56,757 confirmed positive cases were reported. The capacity of government health facilities and isolation shelters government is incapable of coping with the increasing wave of positive cases. Hospitals located on the island of Java are over capacity, and the number of health workers exposed and dying continues to grow.

The ACT Indonesia forum is planning on submitting a funding proposal to ensure that the epidemic affected persons’ basic needs are met with regards to access to health services for Covid-19 patients, access to vaccinations and health promotion education for the communities, strengthening of health facilities, and support for health workers.

Alert-Covid-19 Emergency in Indonesia

On the morning of Monday 01 February 2021, the government of Myanmar was thrown into a political crisis. The ensuing waves of mass protest grew increasingly violent. The political crisis resulted in a collapse of public services and widespread armed conflict, impacting the lives of people living in urban centres as well as remote rural villages.

Communities where many ACT Alliance partners are working face massive impacts as a result of the combined emergencies of armed conflict and COVID-19. Market systems and food production systems are disrupted due movement restrictions imposed to prevent spread of COVID-19 and related to the conflict itself. In some parts of the country, farmers are not planting rice this monsoon season (May – October) because they fear that this substantial investment will just result in their crops being confiscated by the combatants. The banking sector has been severely disrupted and people are very cash poor. Food prices have started to skyrocket.

As of 01 June 2021, the situation has further deteriorated, and the needs have increased. Priority needs include food, shelter, and access to water and latrines. The lack of WASH facilities may lead to deadly diarrheal outbreaks and entire communities are vulnerable to COVID-19 because large numbers of displaced households are now sleeping together in crowded and poorly ventilated spaces such as churches and monasteries. Furthermore, cases of malaria have been reported among the displaced population sheltering in the jungle following the early arrival of the monsoons. Access to IDPs remains restricted due to ongoing fighting, remote muddy terrain, road blockages, and increasing landmine risks. Local partners and experts warn of a looming food security crisis if internally displaced persons (IDPs) are not able to return to their homes to tend to their crops and livestock. The full onset of the monsoon season in June will pose additional logistical challenges for humanitarian access. As the needs grow, local responders are increasingly stretched and require additional financial support to reach the most vulnerable among displaced communities.

Alert Myanmar Complex Crisis

As of 17 May 2021, a total of 198 Palestinian people were killed in Gaza, including 58 children and 35 women, and 1,300 people injured, including 313 children and 206 women according to the Palestinian Ministry of health. On the Israeli side, 10 people in Israel, including one soldier, have been killed and hundreds have been injured as a result of the escalating conflict between Israel and the Hamas.

More than 47 education facilities, 132 buildings (commercial and residential), 316 housing units have been severely damaged, and rendered uninhabitable, about 206 housing units have suffered major damage, and 6,268 housing units have sustained minor damages leaving over 2,500 people homeless and more than 42,000 IDPs.

This conflict came amidst and on top of the pandemic crisis and it’s economic predicament that will surly exacerbates the already fragile health and economic situation in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.

The ACT Palestine Forum is planning on submitting an appeal to ensure that the affected persons’ basic needs are met with regards to Shelter/ NFI’s, food assistance, Health, Protection/MHPSS, CASH and WASH including the response to COVID-19.

Alert- Conflict in Palestine

Second wave of COVID-19 in Nepal started from mid-April 2021 and the daily infection rate has intensely increased to almost 10,000 person per day from 300+ person per day within a month. There is no signal of slowing down of infection rate despite localized (district based) lockdowns called by the Government on 29th April 2021. Currently 72 districts (out of 77 districts) are under full lockdown situation. Nepal’s Prime Minister has already called for international assistance to help them with this crisis.

There is high influx of COVID-19 patients in national and provincial capitals and district headquarters, where large numbers of active cases are isolated in their own houses. The hospitals in district/provincial centres are already running out of oxygen, medicines, and medical supplies, and it is expected to further worsen and go out of control if the condition of in-house isolated case deteriorates and need of medical assistance increases. Nepal has limited production of medicines and medical supplies and largely depends on Indian production, and the supply from India market is totally disturbed as India is also affected by COVID-19.

ACT Nepal forum plans to raise an appeal and aims to start it response in the coming weeks with a plan to reach at least 200,000 households in provinces 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. The initial intervention will focus on supporting the health centres on emergency health support materials and equipment, communicating to the communities on COVID-19 prevention and control, increase access to health and hygiene facilities including COVID vaccine preparedness initiatives. Community based psychosocial service (CBPSS) will be mainstreamed in its intervention. ACT response will also support government and community run heath institutions to render quality and efficient health services to the infected cases. Cash based intervention (CBI) will be undertaken where feasible and applicable.

Alert Nepal Covid Crisis

India’s total number of COVID-19 cases has dramatically risen to over 18 million as of 29 April, with more than 300,000 cases reported for seven straight days and with no immediate signs of slowing down. These have been the highest numbers of reported cases and deaths since the pandemic started, and medical experts believe that the numbers are even higher with many cases not reported from rural areas. The reported national fatality rate is at 1.11%, with medical supplies running out especially oxygen, and that people have been resorting to the black market. Hospitals and crematoriums alike are overwhelmed, and hotels and railway coaches are being converted into critical care facilities to make up for the shortage of hospital beds. It is predicted that after Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in India, will emerge as the next COVID-19 hotspot in the country. The state may report over 1.9 million daily cases by the end of April. Maharashtra and Gujarat in the west, Haryana in the north, and Madhya Pradesh in central India are all facing an oxygen shortage. In the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, some hospitals have put “oxygen out of stock” boards outside, and in the state capital Lucknow, hospitals are asking patients to move elsewhere.

ACT India Forum has convened and agreed to raise an appeal, and the initial intervention will be to support people that are sick at home or quarantined with cash to buy their medicines and other emergency needs. Implementing members will also focus on communicating to the communities about infection prevention and control including information on vaccines, and they will be working with churches and other faith leaders to this end.

A Global Coordination Call is being organized by the ACT Secretariat on Monday, 03 May 2021 to understand the needs and coordinate a timely and efficient ACT response.

Alert India Covid-19 Crisis

On Sunday morning, April 4, 2021, flash floods and landslides caused significant damage in 11 districts of East Nusa Tenggara: Flores Timur, Malaka, Lembata, Ngada, Alor, East Sumba, Sabu Raijua, Rote Ndao, South Timor Tengah, Ende, and Kupang city. In Timor-Leste, over 76 percent of the affected population are in Dili, the country’s capital.

Indonesia National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) reported around 55 casualties and 24 people missing in Indonesia and several areas are still submerged by floods and mud. UN agencies reported about 12,980 people were affected in both Indonesia and Timor-Leste. Seven other municipalities were affected in Timor-Leste with 21 reported casualties.

A total of 256 people were evacuated in the East Flores area. Seventeen houses were washed away, and 60 houses were submerged in mud, with five bridges became inaccessible in three affected villages. In East Sumba District, 54 households or 165 people were displaced, while another 109 households or 475 people were affected by the flood, and 19 villages were affected. In Malaka District, 22 villages are inundated by flash floods, and yet so far still no further information for any victims that has been recorded, but most of the community is still flooded.

ACT Indonesia Forum (ACTIF), through Indonesia Christian Association for Health Services (ICAHS/PELKESI) and YAKKUM Emergency Unit (YEU), plan to respond in East Nusa Tenggara through ACT Alliance’s Rapid Response Fund (RRF). PELKESI is supported by their local partners, CD Bethesda, GKS Synod, and Lindimara Hospital.  They are conducting their rapid assessment and plans to provide health services, shelter materials, food, drinking water, and protection services. YEU has started distributing materials to provide soup kitchens in Flores in collaboration with the local church, GMIT Synod.

Church World Service is responding in Dili, Timor-Leste using their own funds initially distributing hygiene kits and household cleaning items to help the affected residents.

ALERT Indonesia and Timor Leste Flash Floods

Going into its third year of severe economic recession, Lebanon faces its worst and hardest depression ever since the end of the Lebanese Civil War that went on for 15 years. Between the Syrian refugee influx crisis, street protests, COVID-19 pandemic, dangerous depletion of resources, Beirut port explosion on August 4th, 2020, protracted absence of a functional cabinet and overlapping economic, financial and social crises, Lebanon grapples to survive on the edge of collapse.

The ACT Lebanon Forum is planning on submitting a funding proposal to ACT Secretariat to ensure that the affected persons’ basic needs are met with regards  targeting Shelter/ NFI’s, food assistance, Health, Protection/MHPSS, WASH including the response to COVID-19, Early recovery/livelihood,  Education and CASH assistance  sectors.

Lebanon Crisis- Alert

Since the year 2021 began, people in South Sudan continued to suffer with high humanitarian needs. Protracted conflict and negative impact of floods, COVID-19 and desert locusts has contributed to an extended and complex humanitarian crisis.

The complex humanitarian situation reveals that over 8.3 million about one- third of the total population in South Sudan are estimated to need humanitarian assistance in 2021 according to the findings reflected in the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO,2021).

The ACT  South Sudan forum is planning an a response to provide sufficient food, adequate nutrition, safe shelter & NFIs, livelihood activities, safe drinking water, sanitation & hygiene infrastructure, GBV/ protection and education services to  the crisis affected people.

Alert-South Sudan Complex Humanitarian Crisis