The Danish Embassy has announced the establishment of call centres for raising awareness about preventive measures against COVID-19 in Maungdaw and Sittwe in Rakhine State, according to a statement.

The centres are reaching out to the members of communities living in remote areas where there is currently no internet access and limited access to media. The aim is to provide relevant health information to all communities, irrespective of ethnicity and religion.

Danish Ambassador to Myanmar, Mr John Nielsen says:

“There are hundreds of thousands of people who are deprived of access to information in Rakhine state, We hope the Danish contribution will enable vulnerable people in Rakhine to receive vital health information in the face of the Covid-10 epidemic.”

The volunteers in the townships make calls to the remote communities and the areas where it is not safe to undertake awareness-raising activities in person.

Denmark has also supported the distribution of hand sanitizers and personal protective equipment (PPE) to vulnerable communities in Rakhine State, including the camps for internally displaced people. Through the Danish support, a local network of volunteers is also given training in how to make their own quality alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

Mr Nielsen says:

“Denmark is committed to improving the situation for the diverse communities in Rakhine State. With the new support, we intend to increase the resilience of the local communities by providing them with the much-needed means to protect themselves against the COVID-19 pandemic.”