Reaching the most vulnerable people in Indonesia during COVID-19
| Country: | Indonesia |
| Category: | Emergency response |
The first case of Coronavirus in Indonesia was identified in March 2020. Indonesia rapidly became the worst-hit country in Southeast Asia, with cases spreading to all 34 provinces. By January 2021, over 23,000 people had lost their lives to the disease.
Together with our partners, we’ve been able to support the most vulnerable people affected by COVID-19 in Indonesia, including people with disabilities and their families, by:
- Working alongside Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) to ensure that people with disabilities can access vital support and information, including developing accessible resources around prevention and treatment of COVID-19, such as easy-to-read formats and braille
- Supporting hospitals to treat people with COVID-19, including providing ventilators and other equipment for Intensive Care Units, training health workers in COVID-19 safety procedures and equipping them with appropriate PPE, developing online health services and psychosocial support
- Providing financial support, medicines and hygiene kits for the most at-risk households, including people with disabilities, who are unable to work and are struggling to cover basic household needs
- Ensuring people with disabilities aren’t forgotten, including carrying out a rapid assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on people with disabilities – to inform the Indonesian government and other humanitarian actors – and supporting the Indonesian government to include DPOs in disaster response meetings, so that they understand the barriers facing people living with disabilities.