October 17, 2017
PLYMOUTH, MI: Mercy-USA for Aid and Development is partnering with the Turkish Red Crescent to provide food packages to desperate Rohingya refugees arriving to Bangladesh from Myanmar. Meal-ready food kits are being given to freshly arrived refugees, and then once settled; families are receiving a food basket that will feed their family for a month.
Desperate, afraid and running for their lives, more than 536,000 Rohingya have fled their villages in Myanmar into Bangladesh during the last seven weeks. United Nations humanitarian agencies have stated that the flood of refugees is “unprecedented in terms of volume and speed” and “the seriousness of the situation cannot be over-emphasized.”
Due to the fast pace at which this current crisis has evolved, Mercy-USA has chosen to partner with the Turkish Red Crescent to provide food to families arriving into Bangladesh. Umar Al Qadi, CEO of Mercy-USA said, “Providing effective emergency relief during a crisis as chaotic as this requires established supply lines, the host country’s cooperation and tremendous coordinating power. The Turkish Red Crescent, TRC was among the first to respond when the latest influx of refugees began flooding into Bangladesh earlier this summer. We wanted to make sure our donor’s funds were utilized without delay, so we chose to partner with TRC since they are already on the ground, up and running to provide immediate help to these devastated families.” Donors to Mercy-USA’s campaign to help Rohingya refugees can be assured the money they send is being implemented immediately to those families suffering in Bangladesh from this horrific crisis.
For media inquiries, please contact Mercy-USA’s Director of Communications and Public Affairs, Kari Ansari at 703-628-0260, kansari@mercyusa.org