It is estimated that 1.3 million Syrian refugees live in Jordan today. Approximately 85 per cent of them lives in the host communities, while more than 139,000 lives in two main  camps, Za’atari and Azraq. According to UNICEF, 86% of Syrian refugees outside camps in Jordan live below the poverty line. While poverty and unemployment rates were already high prior to the onset of COVID-19, Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians face even greater challenges in earning a livelihood, covering basic needs such as food, protection and accessing key services as healthcare.

Jordan ACT forum members DSPR, ELCJHL, LWF and MECC  will respond to the humanitarian crisis with an appeal to raise USD 1,849,233, to build the resilience of the affected communities and continue addressing the most pressing basic needs of the health, food security, NFI’s, protection and livelihood sectors.

JOR211 Appeal_Multi-sectorial Response

The protracted humanitarian crisis in Iraq remains one of the largest and most volatile in the world. The COVID-19 outbreak hit a country already facing a humanitarian crisis, further deepening vulnerabilities and disrupting on-going efforts to deliver aid to the most vulnerable people in acute need of humanitarian assistance.

More than 1.77 million people  have acute humanitarian and development needs according to the Iraq Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO, 2020). IDPs in and out of camps, returnees, and Refugees experienced partial or full collapse of living standards and disrupted access to basic goods and services, exhausting their capacities to cope and frequently resorting to negative coping strategies.

ACT Iraq Forum members LWF and CA will respond to the prolonged crisis with an appeal to raise USD4,977,126 over two years.

IRQ211_ Iraq Appeal

The armed conflict has put Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh in a state of crisis. According to the preliminary assessment of needs 100,000 spontaneously arrived people need food, shelter, clothing, including for cold season, footwear, blankets, pillows, bedding, sanitation and hygiene items, stationery for schoolchildren, technical means for on-line classes, cash for payment for utilities, medicament, and other essentials. Spontaneous arrivals are staying with hosts, guest houses, hotels, resorts, in public buildings such as schools, kindergartens, community halls. The onset of cold winter weather makes the provision of suitable shelter and NFIs, such as blankets and warm clothes crucial. Pre-existing economic and food security vulnerabilities in Armenia limit coping capacity in areas currently receiving high numbers of spontaneous arrivals. ART, a national member of ACT Alliance will assist the most vulnerable 2,000 individuals for 3 months to meet their essential needs: food, hygiene and sanitary items, bedding, household appliances, payment for utilities.

ART is currently developing ACT Appeal to scale up the response.

RRF_132020_Armenia_Armed conflicts in Nagorno Karabagh

Barely recovering from Typhoon Goni that made landfall on 1st November,  2020 and displaced more than 500,000 people, Bicol region and CALABARZON in the eastern part of Luzon braced for another typhoon Vamco (Ulysses) on 11 November which brought violent winds, massive flooding in the eight regions within Luzon, and torrential rain-triggered landslides. Typhoon Vamco was the deadliest cyclone to hit the country this year with 67 confirmed casualties and several people missing. Tens of thousands of homes in low-lying areas in the NCR were submerged in roof-level floods. In Northern Luzon, Cagayan and Isabela provinces experienced the worst flooding in decades as the Cagayan River overflowed, partly due to the release of water from Magat Dam, and inundated low-lying municipalities. It exacerbated the already dire situation of those severely affected families by Typhoon Goni and affected another 1,110,910 persons, of which, 306,340 persons temporarily residing in evacuation centers.

On top of all these, the COVID-19 pandemic still poses serious public health risks and caused the Philippine economy to contract by 7.3% further worsening the impoverished situation of the most vulnerable and poorest Filipino families.

ACT Philippines Forum will respond to the disaster with an appeal to raise USD1,154,820.

APPEAL Philippines Typhoon Goni and Vamco PHL202

As per assessment report conducted by the One UN Provincial Program Team Sindh, 2.2 million people have been directly or indirectly affected by the monsoon rains with 77,337 houses fully damaged and 137,007 partially damaged. An estimate 1.9 million acres of crops have been affected and 45,961 of livestock were lost. Mirpurkhas is among one of the worst affected districts in the province where huge loss to standing crops, property, livestock and infrastructure has been reported. People have taken refuge on the elevated places due to their damaged or flooded houses. They have reportedly lost food stock, savings and other precious household assets. The areas remained under the impact of drought, locust, COVID-19 which has already weaken their economic and livelihood situation while the recent floods will add up to their miseries.

Community World Service Asia will respond through ACT Alliance’s Rapid Response Fund.

RRF 092020 Pakistan Sindh Floods

UN OCHA estimated 2 million people were affected by the typhoon Goni as it traversed across northern and southern Philippines, of which 1.1 million are poor. The Philippines’ National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) reported about 517,172 people are staying in government evacuation centers or with friends and family and estimates 27,750 houses damaged. Several municipalities still do not have power and water supply as supply lines have been destroyed by the typhoon. Photos from the affected areas particularly Catanduanes, Albay, and Camarines Sur show that houses have been destroyed by strong winds or flooded. Typhoon Goni affected the same area as typhoon Molave (local name: Quinta) a week before. Some areas will also be affected by tropical storm Atsani (local name: Siony) that entered the Philippine area of responsibility right behind Goni.

Philippines has also one of the highest cases of COVID-19 infection in the world with more than a thousand new cases daily that containment measures are still in effect.

ACT Philippines Forum plans to respond to the disaster.

RRF 082020 Philippines Typhoon Goni