The First Mission
In 2017, MOAS ITALIA launched its first mission in Southeast Asia by creating the first Aid Station in Shamlapur, Bangladesh. This area was receiving many Rohingya seeking refuge and safety after being persecuted by the military junta in Myanmar.
The Rohingya are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group, primarily of Islamic faith, residing in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Before the Rohingya genocide in 2017, which caused over 740,000 people to flee to Bangladesh, it was estimated that about 1.4 million Rohingya lived in Myanmar.
In 2017, hundreds of thousands of children, women, and men poured into makeshift camps where access to sanitary facilities or medical care was scarce or nonexistent. In response to the urgent need for medical assistance, the MOAS ITALIA team set up special Aid Stations to provide medical supplies and humanitarian aid where it was most needed.
The first Aid Station in Shamlapur served as a semi-permanent satellite structure for an improvised settlement. It included a fully equipped medical tent and provided water and sanitation services. Each day, the MOAS ITALIA medical team, consisting of a coordinator, 10 doctors, 3 nurses, and 2 assistants, conducted triage within the settlement. Those in severe condition were transported to the Aid Station, while an ambulance handled the critically ill. A team of logistics professionals managed the station’s operations and administration 24/7.
“You cannot remain indifferent to those suffering because they are denied the chance to have a dignified and safe life, nor can you ignore abuses and violence wherever they occur,” stated Regina Catrambone, founder and director of MOAS ITALIA. “This is why, with MOAS ITALIA, we have decided to be the voice of the voiceless and commit once again to assisting the most vulnerable in a remote and almost forgotten area. Solidarity, mercy, and brotherhood have no borders; they are not just told, they are lived.”
The Second Mission
In 2020, MOAS ITALIA launched a second humanitarian mission, coordinating its activities in Bangladesh with other NGOs and agencies on the ground through a mechanism managed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – the Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG). Many people in makeshift camps often lack access to medical care due to the distance from official medical facilities and the extremely poor condition of the roads. One of the priorities is also to prevent numerous drowning deaths among children and adolescents.
In Bangladesh, in the refugee camps where Rohingya refugees live after fleeing torture and violence in Myanmar, especially in the Cox’s Bazar district, responding to these emergencies has been a priority for years. This area of Bangladesh is prone to sudden floods related to the monsoon and cyclone seasons, and due to limited skills and equipment, it is currently impossible to ensure adequate safety conditions for those living in refugee camps.
In Cox’s Bazar refugee camps, the most at-risk group is between 5 and 17 years old. In most cases, children and teenagers were playing near their shelters while their parents were doing household chores.
Thanks to funding from the Otto per Mille of the Waldensian Church, MOAS ITALIA, in collaboration with its partner Helvetas, implemented a water safety and rescue training project for 700 volunteers in Bangladesh, including 200 from the host Bangladeshi community and 500 from the Rohingya refugee community. The course provided participants with basic information on flood risks, the ability to identify high-risk areas, and operate safely in preventing and rescuing those at risk of drowning.
At the end of the course, participants were provided with 700 throw bags and 28 bottle rings, rescue devices used both during training and subsequently in case of need. The production of these rescue devices was carried out in Cox’s Bazar in a specially set-up workshop where local seamstresses and tailors, many of whom had lost their jobs due to the Covid-19 pandemic, could continue to support their families using locally produced materials.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the difficulties caused by restrictions introduced to slow the spread of the virus, fieldwork remained constant. During that difficult period, following the floods that hit the country in 2020, with cooperation from our partner and the valuable support of the Otto per Mille fund from the Waldensian Church, we were able to make a difference and save the lives of those most in need.
