Samaritan's Purse providing medical, physical relief to desperate Rohingya refugees

Federal government matching all donations from Canadians up to Nov. 28

CALGARY, Nov. 15, 2017 /CNW/ - Samaritan's Purse Canada is providing medical aid and distributing emergency supplies to thousands of impoverished Rohingya people from Myanmar who have fled for their lives to escape violence.

Since bloodshed and brutality erupted in their homeland Aug. 25, more than 600,000 Rohingya escaped to Bangladesh, where they are living in temporary huts, tents, and under tarps in crowded refugee camps.

Samaritan's Purse Canada has deployed personnel to Bangladesh who are working with local partners to distribute blankets, tarps, hygiene kits, and other desperately needed emergency items to refugees. We are also assessing how our extensive experience providing safe water in emergencies can assist Rohingya families.

"Homes were burned, people were brutalized, and those that survived fled with little but the clothes on their backs and maybe a few household items," said Samaritan's Purse Canada employee David Bock from a refugee camp. "The speed of this displacement of Rohingya people from Myanmar has been almost unparalleled. These are very vulnerable people who need our help."

Samaritan's Purse has deployed Canadian medical staff to treat wounded and sick Rohingya refugees at a Bangladesh hospital. In addition, we are transporting medical equipment and supplies to the area.

Donations Needed: To support Samaritan's Purse's emergency disaster relief efforts in Bangladesh and around the world, please visit SamaritansPurse.ca (click on "Donate") or call 1-800-663-6500.

Matched Donations: Canadians can double the impact of their donations to address the Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh. The federal government is placing one dollar into its Myanmar Crisis Relief Fund for every dollar donated by individual Canadians (to a maximum $100,000 per person) up to Nov. 28.

"This is a desperate situation for the Rohingya people and we want provide help and hope and show them that they have not been forgotten in this time of crisis. We invite Canadians to join with us in praying for peace for the Rohingya people," said Samaritan's Purse Canada Executive Director Fred Weiss.

About Samaritan's Purse Canada: Samaritan's Purse is a Christian relief and development organization that takes its name from Jesus Christ's biblical story of the Good Samaritan. Like that Good Samaritan, who found a beaten man and helped restore him, we aid victims of war, disease, disaster, poverty, famine, and persecution. Besides disaster relief, our work includes collecting and distributing gift-filled Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes, providing safe water, teaching vocational skills, and providing agricultural supplies and training to families in the developing world. Learn more at SamaritansPurse.ca.

SOURCE Samaritan's Purse Canada