 Noor Bahar at her shelter in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. (CPI) Noor Bahar’s family was killed during the violence in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State in 2017. The only survivor, she fled across the border to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where she now lives as a refugee in Kutupalong Refugee Camp. With no family members to help her, she relies on the support of community volunteers in her neighborhood. As an asthma sufferer, she has to take care of her health, especially with the threat of COVID-19.
One evening in March, Noor suffered an acute asthma attack in her shelter. A passerby saw her struggling to breathe and alerted Zainul Mostofa, a Rohingya Community Health Volunteer supported by Community Partners International (CPI).  On March 22, to mark World Water Day, and under the theme "Valuing Water", Rohingya water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) volunteers supported by Community Partners International (CPI) led activities in Kutupalong Refugee Camp, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, to raise community awareness of water security and safety.
 Ayesha with her newborn baby girl in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. (CPI) Ayesha and Jannat are Rohingya refugees from Myanmar sheltering in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. They fled violence in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State in 2017 with their families, walking for many days to reach the Bangladesh border. Today, they live in Kutupalong, the world’s largest refugee camp. Both receive assistance from networks of Rohingya community health and water, sanitation and hygiene volunteers supported by Community Partners International (CPI). Here are their stories.
 (Dusan Petkovic/Shutterstock.com) In January, Community Partners International launched a new project in northern Los Angeles (LA) County, California, to provide home-based care to patients recovering from COVID-19, freeing up vital bed space to receive new patients in need of intensive and emergency care. More used to providing health services in Myanmar (Burma)’s conflict zones and Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, this is the organization's first U.S.-based project.
 A temporary COVID-19 screening clinic set up by the Ta'ang Health Committee in Shan State, Myanmar. (CPI/THC) On November 4, 2020, Community Partners International (CPI) held the second in a series of live webinars focused on “COVID-19 and Conflict in Myanmar’s Ethnic States”. At this second webinar, speakers from ethnic and community-based organizations in Myanmar’s Shan and Kachin States discussed their needs for additional assistance and support to ensure the effectiveness of their COVID-19 responses.
 On December 21, Community Partners International (CPI) Board and Health Advisory Committee Member Dr. Adam Richards spoke to Al Jazeera English about the challenges facing health providers in California and across the US that are struggling to cope with rapidly rising cases of COVID-19.
 Dr. Tom Lee receives the COVID-19 vaccine in Los Angeles. (Tom Lee)  As an ER doctor in Los Angeles, I was fortunate to receive the COVID-19 vaccine a few days ago. After more than ten months' battling the pandemic day-to-day in the ER, it was an emotional moment for my colleagues and me to begin administering these vaccines.
 A mother visits a clinic in a displacement camp in Kachin State, Myanmar. (Khin Nyein Chan Oo/CPI) In Kachin State, Myanmar, nearly 100,000 people live in displacement camps. Some have been there for 10 years or more, forced to flee their homes due to the conflict that continues to rage in this restive and contested region. COVID-19 is now spreading rapidly in Myanmar and the country has one of the world’s weakest health systems. The cramped and crowded conditions in displacement camps make residents especially vulnerable.
 Dr. Masura (left) and Dr. Rony (right) at Sadar District Hospital in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. (Md. Dipu/CPI) As the COVID-19 pandemic has placed increased pressure on health systems, newly-graduated young doctors around the world have stepped up and shouldered responsibility beyond their years and experience in order to provide care to people in need. This is particularly true in countries with fragile and under-resourced health systems like Bangladesh.
Staff from the Kayin State Health Department, Pyi Gyi Khin and the Myanmar Health CSOs Network participate in the filming of the "Our UHC" music video. (CPI)
It's well known that singing can have health benefits, and dancing too. However, a group of health providers in Myanmar is taking this a step further – singing and dancing for everyone’s health.
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