Assist Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

It’s been three years since the Rohingya people fled violence and persecution in Rakhine State in Myanmar. Nearly a million refugees now reside in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, forming the world’s largest refugee camp. Without an end in sight to this situation, here are 5 things to know about the Rohingya crisis as it currently stands at the end of 2020.

1. THIS ISN’T AN ISOLATED CRISIS FOR THE ROHINGYA

The Rohingya are a predominantly minority ethnic group, many of whom have lived in Myanmar’s Rakhine State for generations. Without recognition as citizens or permanent residents of the country, the Rohingya have long had limited access to education, jobs, and health services, resulting in chronic poverty and marginalization. Violence targeting the Rohingya in Myanmar over the last several decades has driven hundreds of thousands to neighboring countries, most notably in 1978, 1991-92, and 2016. An escalation in violence in 2017 became the starting point for the latest — and largest — crisis. 

2. THE CURRENT CRISIS HAS BECOME MORE COMPLEX — ESPECIALLY WITH COVID-19

The mass exodus of Rohingya refugees into neighboring Bangladesh has developed into a protracted emergency for both refugees and host communities. Most of the camps were built on uneven sandy hills that were rapidly cleared to make way for refugees and services. Over the last three years, these informal settlements have faced the constant threats of flooding, landslides, and shelter collapse.

The main cyclone season begins in April, and previous years have shown us that this the in which the Rohingya are most vulnerable. Beyond shelters facing destruction from high winds, these rainy seasons can also foster waterborne illnesses in crowded camps that don’t have proper water and sanitation facilities — posing a particular risk to children and the elderly.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic reached the camps in the summer of 2020. Quarantines and lockdowns in Bangladesh have made it harder for essential supplies, including food and medical items, to make it into the camps.

3. OVER 100 ORGANIZATIONS ARE RESPONDING TO THE ROHINGYA CRISIS

Concern is one the many non-governmental organizations — both local and international — responding to the influx of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Because we have been in Bangladesh for over 40 years, with both former staff and experience in the Cox’s Bazar area, we were one of the first organizations to respond to the crisis there. 

Since then, we’ve maintained a combination of life-saving integrated nutrition support, livelihood development, disaster risk reduction, non-food item distributions, and home gardening initiatives. Our goal, along with many of our partners and humanitarian colleagues, is to help the Rohingya stay healthy, care for their families, and live with as much security and dignity as possible.

4. THE ROHINGYA CRISIS IS ALSO A BANGLADESHI CRISIS

Often underreported in coverage of any refugee crisis is the host community’s efforts to maintain their own welfare. The area surrounding Cox’s Bazar is a very poor area of Bangladesh with a history of weak service provision. Concern’s Country Director in Bangladesh, A.K.M. Musha, points out that local lives have changed significantly since this massive population flow. 

“There is huge socio-economic and environmental pressure resulting in increased tension between refugees and the host community,” he says. “The tensions will continue to increase unless the host communities are supported well. It’s a difficult situation for all.”

While the Bangladeshi government has gone to great lengths to accommodate the influx, the impact is being felt as local resources go into the relief effort, prices of goods and services rise, and labor becomes cheaper.

5. THERE’S NO END IN SIGHT

“The Rohingya people don’t believe the situation in Myanmar is currently conducive to repatriation. It would be very difficult for people to go back to Myanmar unless the situation improves there,” adds Musha.

Despite all this, Concern’s Emergency Director in Bangladesh, Heather Macey says thatthemood among the Rohingya communityis one of resilience and defiance.

“They are people before they are refugees. You have doctors and musicians and artists living in these camps. You can’t forget that. The people have gone through and survivedso much,”she explained.

“They are the drivers of their own change…The people are not hopeless.”

Thank you for your support of Concern’s work with both refugees and their host communities to realize this change for a brighter future, together.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reached the Rohingya camps of Bangladesh, where more than 900,000 refugees, including nearly 500,000 children, live on a site spanning less than 10 square miles. With a population-density far higher than Manhattan, physical distancing and self-isolation is almost impossible to put into practice and there is a huge risk that COVID-19 will spread rapidly through the community.

To compound the problem, over 10% of Rohingya refugee households have at least one individual above the age of five with a disability or chronic illness. Cholera, chicken pox, and diphtheria have previously broken out in the camp and there is high number of existing respiratory infections — 174,000 since January 2020 — leaving those affected extremely vulnerable to coronavirus.

Concern is doing everything it can to continue operation while also respecting government-mandated restrictions. Double rations — enough to last an extra month — were distributed in advance of the shutdown and food stocks have been pre-positioned for distribution by Concern’s volunteer network within the camp to stave off the chronic threat of malnutrition.

The Concern team has also been working to make sure that those living in the camps have the facts about how the virus is spread and its effects, using nearly 250 trained Rohingya volunteers to counter dangerous misinformation.

A Concern-led consortium, designed to improved essential healthcare for disadvantaged communities, has moved quickly to create a simple and effective screening solution: an all-in-one mobile diagnosis and sample collection service.

Patients arriving at the mobile center receive free masks and hand sanitizer and are directed to a booth for consultation with a doctor via video call. If the patient is suspected of having COVID-19 symptoms, they are registered and referred to the sample collection booth. Trained staff then take a swab for laboratory testing. Currently the screening capacity is 150 samples per day and patients receive results within 48 hours. The service is provided free of charge.

Hasina Rahman, Concern’s acting Country Director in Bangladesh, says that this could be a very effective way to ramp up COVID screening across the country, especially in rural areas. “We are glad that we have been able to step up during this unprecedented crisis to support the government.” Given the population size and some of the access challenges, the task is enormous and the stakes are high.

Your support has helped Concern play a critical role in stemming the spread of COVID-19 among this particular vulnerable population. Thank you.