Thank you for your continued generosity during these difficult times. 

As you know, Syrian refugees are facing immense challenges with the COVID-19 crisis, and now the Beirut port explosion is further threatening their safety and livelihoods. 

On August 4, an explosion was set off in an industrial neighborhood in Beirut, Lebanon. At least 34 Syrian refugees were among the 200 killed, though UNHCR fears this number will rise. Though Syrian refugees are in the minority of people affected by the explosion, they face heightened risks because, without family ties, they are less likely to be searched for. The Lebanese government is making it increasingly difficult for these refugee families to receive aid, which further compounds the challenges they’re enduring with the ongoing pandemic.

Thankfully, our partners have quickly jumped to action to provide emergency supplies and support where it’s needed most. That’s why GlobalGiving recently made a round of emergency grants to support these organizations hard at work supporting Syrian refugees by:

Making sure basic needs are met

• Our friends at Insan Association are on the ground providing much-needed medicine and personal hygiene items. The staff is also cooking and distributing meals, giving mattresses and bedding to those who need it, and providing supplies to help new moms continue caring for their babies in the aftermath of the crisis.
• Nonprofit partner Developmental Action without Borders/Naba'ais supporting Syrian refugees, children, and elderly individuals by committing to meet the urgent and basic needs of 500 families in the wake of the explosion.

Providing home repairs and helping hands

• Leaders at TheNawaya Network are working tirelessly to provide basic home repairs for those that suffered damage from the blast. Staff is also distributing food throughout the community and helping to provide critical medical support for wounded individuals.

It’s no secret that our nonprofit partners are tuned in to their community’s needs and are doing all they can to provide vital support in this tumultuous time. This is why I must say once again: thank you for supporting a community-led approach to disaster recovery. We look forward to providing more updates on how your contribution is making an impact in the coming months.

With Gratitude, 

Claire + the GlobalGiving Team

It has been more than nine months since the peak of the bushfires across Australia. In that time, the COVID-19 pandemic has upended the world. The current realities imposed by the pandemic have only made the long journey to recovery for fire-impacted communities and ecosystems in Australia more complex and arduous. 

Thank you for standing together with more than 23,000 others to support bushfire relief and long-term recovery. Your generosity continues to make it possible for GlobalGiving’s local nonprofit partners in Australia to effectively address the medium- to long-term impacts of the bushfires. Frankly, the challenges facing our partners remain immense. According to recent government reporting, the bushfires burned between 24 and 40 million hectares, displaced hundreds of communities, tragically killed more than 30 people, and killed or displaced an estimated 3 billion animals. The dedicated work of our local partners on a daily basis, however, provides hope as they lead the way to recovery for fire-impacted communities and ecosystems. 

Here is a snapshot of how three of our partners are contributing to bushfire recovery thanks to your donation:

• The Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife (FNPW) has launched its second phase of bushfire response, called Healing Our Land. Building on the organization’s initial emergency relief operations in support of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, the Healing Our Land program is aimed at the restoration and regeneration of devastated ecosystems in all fire-impacted states in Australia. To date, the organization has provided direct financial assistance to nearly 10 community projects in New South Wales and South Australia. For example, FNPW has invested in expanding a network of nest boxes on Kangaroo Island to support insectivorous bats, pygmy-possums, and several bird and reptile species.
  
  
• NSW Wildlife Information Rescue & Education Service (WIRES) remains keenly focused on the massive loss, injury, and displacement of native wildlife across Australia during the bushfires. Through its myriad bushfire recovery programs, WIRES has funded more than 240 projects nationally in support of licensed wildlife carers, critical koala research with the University of Sydney’s Koala Health Hub, and ecosystem restoration in partnership with Landcare Australia and the Australian Wildlife Conservancy.
  
  
• Foodbank Australia continues to see an unprecedented rise in the demand for food relief across Australia due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. This trend is especially concerning in fire-impacted communities. As a trusted organization that forms part of the official emergency response network in the country, Foodbank Australia remains a central conduit for connecting local community pantries with reliable food supply chains.

But the recovery and our nonprofit partners’ work is not over. Here’s what’s next:

By early October, GlobalGiving will award additional funding of up to $1 million to local nonprofit partners in Australia that continue to serve on the front lines of the bushfire response. In our next update to you, we will share more details about these upcoming awards and the recovery work they will fund.

We believe that local organizations understand and address their communities’ needs better than anyone else. Thanks again for your generosity and dedication to supporting local disaster relief and recovery efforts.

With gratitude, 

Chase + the GlobalGiving Team

As we mark the third anniversary of the launch of our Rohingya Refugee Relief Fund, we can’t help but be in awe of everything that your generosity has cultivated. In August 2017, the Myanmar military escalated its persecution of the Rohingya minority population. This sparked the displacement of more than one million refugees, primarily to Bangladesh. Since then, you and nearly 1,700 others have given more than $400,000 to provide refugees with medical clinics, food, hygiene kits, and education. Your support is more crucial now than ever, as COVID-19 continues to spread throughout refugee camps, where practices like social distancing are close to impossible.

Three years of solidarity

In a huge step forward for human rights, the United Nations International Court of Justice voted unanimously in January to order Myanmar to take action in preventing genocide. The legally binding ruling requires the Myanmar government to ensure that military and police forces don’t commit genocide, preserve evidence of genocidal acts, and report back on its compliance. 

Despite advances in preventing further harm to the Rohingya population, more than one million refugees are still living in refugee camps. With Myanmar's borders closed due to the pandemic and limited action from the Myanmar government to ensure the possibility of a safe return home, Rohingyan survivors’ future remains uncertain.

Of the Rohingya refugees living in the Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar, the largest refugee camp in the world, more than 50% are children. More than 300,000 children in the camp are missing out on an education, with 6,000 learning institutions in the camp closed and extremely limited internet access inhibiting remote learning. 

COVID-19 comes to Cox’s Bazar

With fifty confirmed COVID-19 cases in Cox’s Bazar, GlobalGiving partners are jumping into action:

• BRAC USA is distributing hand washing devices, masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, and leaflets with prevention tips to keep residents safe. Their public health awareness campaign has already reached more than 700,000 people! 
• The HOPE Foundation has set up two isolation units with 50 beds each to treat COVID-19 patients, one serving the camp itself and the other for the host community of Cox’s Bazar. 
• Friends of UNFPA established a hand-washing system at each of their health clinics in the camp, where volunteers guide Rohingya patients in hand-washing and social distancing protocols. 

• JAAGO continues to provide education remotely through radio and the internet, ensuring that among all of the changes brought by the pandemic, access to education isn't one of them. 

These days, solidarity is more important than ever — which is why we’re so grateful for your support in supporting the Rohingya people in their time of need. 

With gratitude, 

Shannon + the GlobalGiving Team