Crisis Relief
Rohingya Refugees (Ongoing):
The oppression of the Rohingya resulted in mass movements of people throughout Myanmar in the 18th through 21st centuries, with repeated mistreatment and discrimination against this people group. Today the Rohingya refugees are known to be the largest displaced people group in the world residing not only in Bangladesh but also in neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and even Nepal.
The assimilation of Rohingya refugees in Southern Asia has been both an experience of exclusion and a source of false safety. They remain in a host country that does not accept their stay and a home country that does not want their return. Generational trauma runs rampant in the lives of those who are subjected to living the rest of their lives in the biggest refugee camp in the world.
The Cox Bazaar is a refugee compound that is surrounded by barbed wire and located on 600 acres (about the size of Central Park in New York City). This community contains approximately 1.4 million men, women, and children who fled from the mass genocide that began in 2017 and still occurs today. Tiny huts made from bamboo sticks and plastic tarps sweep up and down across the hills. The ramifications of refugee policies enforced by the government promote the discreditation of the Rohingya as full residents of the country, therefore, many are not receiving humanitarian aid from government agencies. This means that they are extremely dependent on the UN and international humanitarian organizations.
Although some residents volunteer to aid the Rohingya, most citizens and government authorities want little to do with the responsibility of caring for the Rohingya refugees, as their resources are already extremely limited as well. Forced assimilation has caused them to have to give up their land, and for some, their livelihoods, as rice patties are now being used as waste fields. Growing food has become a hardship for all that live in the surrounding areas. With the situation of the refugees becoming increasingly protracted, the needs of the refugees remain urgent.
With half a million children, this new generation has come to be named “the lost generation.” Seventy percent of Rohingya children are subjected to cramped and rudimentary camps, with few opportunities for access to education, they face the reality of a bleak and unpredictable future, lacking the skills necessary to overcome and contribute to their society despite their current situation. Those who do have access to education attend sessions for about two hours per day, at grade levels far below their age. But, although there remains a high demand for education, overcrowded camps, and basic needs such as clean water, adequate food, and medical care are the only fixation that the Rohingya have been able to fight for daily.
Through the work of Mercy and our partners, we provide funding for basic necessities that ensure relief, encouragement, and the ministry of the gospel. This yields not only physical support but emotional and spiritual empowerment as well.
All beneficiaries receive portioned amounts of rice, beans, oil, and cooking pans, creating a steady stream of food supply that they need to feed their families. By the end of 2023, Mercy aims to equip more than 1,000 families with food assistance and reach over 1,700 families with the gospel through the distribution of Bibles to families in need of the truth of God’s word.
Water in the camps is contaminated with arsenic, garbage, and human waste. Mercy, through its partners, is installing clean water wells, also known as “Jesus Wells” throughout the camps that the government has given us access to. Not only do these wells provide physically nourishing water, but they also act as a catalyst to share the good news of Jesus. This, in return, plants seeds of hope as churches are being brought up in the Rohingya communities.
Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
Rohingya Fires (2023):
On March 22nd, 2023, a large fire broke out in several of the camps of the Rohingya refugees. As the fires blazed, hundreds of huts, mosques, and schools were destroyed leaving 12,000 people homeless. Approximately 15 lives were lost in the fires, including 3 children. Due to this tragedy, so many families lost what little belongings and sentiments they had left. This is the 5th such fire that has broken out since 2017.
Mercy has continued to work with our partners to provide shelter, food, and medical assistance to the injured and homeless Rohingyas. Our goal is to raise $25,000 to provide the Rohingya with adequate food, blankets, hygiene kits, clothing, and cooking supplies. We are urging our friends and supporters to join us in this effort to provide care and impart dignity to these suffering people.
Ukraine War (2022/2023)
We have a great responsibility as followers of Jesus to fend for the defenseless. In the Ukraine war, Mercy and our local partners have been able to support three ministry partners that are working in Ukraine and Hungary to provide essential help to the suffering while sharing the truth and love of Christ.
Through Mercy’s partnership with a local Ukrainian church, we have been able to provide basic necessities to displaced families. We helped provide food, clothes, and medications to those displaced and homeless. They also helped to transport families to safe locations. Uman churches are also making trips to other cities, bringing food to places that were recently liberated. Uman churches have helped over 5,000 refugees and counting.
In Kyiv, Mercy partners helped vulnerable groups of people in the city with food and also provided food packages to towns and villages in the suburbs of Kyiv that have been liberated. Approximately 1 ton of food and supplies were provided to Baryshevka for further distribution to villages that have been liberated. About 200 food packages were recently provided for families in need which include canned meat, pasta, rice, sugar, tea, and sunflower oil.
Mercy partners in the city of Lviv have also become a transition point for refugees moving abroad. Local churches have provided temporary housing, food, hygiene, and medical supplies for families on the move to safer areas such as Poland.
Through all these outreach projects, the love and truth of Christ have been presented as our partners share the gospel and pray with victims during their time of crisis. Many Ukrainians have turned to Christ in their time of need.
Democratic Republic of Congo (2022):
The DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) remains one of the world’s most complex and protracted humanitarian crises in the world. An estimated 27 million people needed humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022.
The humanitarian crisis continues to deteriorate in DRC particularly in the eastern provinces of the country, due to a volatile security threat and local community conflicts. Attacks against civilians, including internally displaced people (IDPs), have increased over the past year, especially in Ituri and North-Kivu provinces.
Today, more than 27 million people in DRC are facing acute food insecurity, with 5.5 million IDPs forced to move several times a year. Approximately 500,000 refugees and asylum seekers from neighboring countries are hosted in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mercy works closely alongside our partners in these communities to deliver practical necessities such as food, clothing, hygiene kits, and medical care to displaced men, women, and children. All of the humanitarian organizations in the DRC operate in a complex and challenging environment marked by persistent insecurity and limited infrastructures.
