{"id":24238,"date":"2020-05-01T21:43:37","date_gmt":"2020-05-01T21:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jww.org\/?p=24238"},"modified":"2020-05-01T21:43:37","modified_gmt":"2020-05-01T21:43:37","slug":"covid-19-emergency-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jww.org\/site\/covid-19-emergency-grants\/","title":{"rendered":"Jewish World Watch announces COVID-19 emergency grants"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jewish World Watch (JWW) is proud to announce the disbursement of multiple critical grants to our on-the-ground partner organizations working on the frontlines of COVID-19 response in their atrocity-affected countries.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

To continue JWW\u2019s essential work supporting survivors of genocides and mass atrocities, JWW and our local partners need funding now more than ever<\/a>. As can be seen from the grants described here, JWW is continuing our proven track record of supporting our innovative partners quickly and efficiently.  Your support for JWW ensures that our amazing frontline partners can prepare their atrocity-affected communities against COVID-19.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

JWW\u2019s experience working with genocide- and mass atrocity-affected communities that have been hard hit with public health emergencies \u2013 from rampant sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the systematic <\/span>bombing of hospitals<\/span><\/a> in Syria \u2013 has taught us that community-led interventions are the most effective in dealing with health crises among war-beleaguered populations.  Through your support, we are honored to be able to empower our partner organizations that operate on the local level. These groups\u2019 established relationships in their communities ensure trust and maximum impact of every dollar we pass onto them.       <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

JWW\u2019s current emergency COVID-19 grants focus on supporting the dissemination of life-saving information about the deadly virus as well as the distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) and emergency food supplies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Rohingya refugee camps in Cox\u2019s Bazar, Bangladesh.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

As soon as COVID-19 was declared a global health pandemic, Jewish World Watch reached out to our partner organizations in conflict-affected countries around the world to ask about their most pressing needs.  As a result of these conversations, we quickly allowed our partners to pivot their existing funding to meet some of the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19.  But we also realized that those pivots would not be sufficient and that <\/span>they needed immediate COVID-specific emergency support<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The window of opportunity to prevent the uninhibited spread of a COVID-19 outbreak in atrocity-affected, marginalized survivor communities is very narrow and shrinking quickly.  Should COVID-19 break out as anticipated in these vulnerable communities, the impact would be catastrophic and containment a near-impossibility.  To respond with urgency to the threat, Jewish World Watch quickly identified several effective interventions, and immediately began fundraising to meet the current and imminent pressing needs of our partners.  <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Each of the grants we have awarded is designed to directly meet the very clear concerns delineated by our partner organizations:  <\/span><\/p>\n

The Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/b><\/h1>\n

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The number one COVID-related need among our partners is protection from the spread of the disease.  The second concern \u2013 which is perhaps even more threatening \u2013 is extreme food insecurity. The latter is the result of the DRC\u2019s countrywide shutdown instituted immediately on the heels of the country\u2019s first reported cases.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\" A seamstress sews protective masks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/p>\n

The Need for Protection<\/b><\/h4>\n

With borders closed as a result of the government\u2019s COVID-19 response, personal protective equipment (PPE) \u2013 including face masks and sanitization materials \u2013 is nearly impossible to come by, leaving at-risk community members even more vulnerable to infection.<\/span><\/p>\n

JWW\u2019s Response<\/b><\/h4>\n

Jewish World Watch is supporting local seamstresses in the Congo to create masks from African fabrics and distribute them to vulnerable community members and frontline workers leading preparedness efforts in South Kivu.  The seamstresses are members of a women\u2019s cooperative, made up of survivors of gender-based violence \u2013 rape is commonly wielded as a weapon of war in the Congo.  These seamstresses are women who have received past care and vocational skills training supported by JWW; as a result of that earlier project, these amazing survivors are not only self-supporting, they also are now playing a major part in producing PPE that is saving the lives of others.  <\/span><\/p>\n