Rohingya Refugee Relief Fund

Monsoon season is quickly approaching in Bangladesh—lasting from June to October, it is expected to account for roughly 80% of the country’s yearly rainfall. The monsoon season will include powerful winds, torrential rainfall, and the potential for cyclones. Taken together, these risks will serve only to exacerbate the extreme challenges and poor living conditions facing the more than 900,000 Rohingya that continue to live in refugee camps and informal settlements in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Slow progress has been made in stabilizing the basic needs of the Rohingya living in the camps and settlements, but, even beyond the threats of the upcoming monsoon season, Rohingya refugees still find themselves in a very precarious environment and situation. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs explains that the “root causes of their plight in Myanmar have not been addressed and their future is yet uncertain.” For a more detailed overview of the enormous obstacles that continue to face Rohingya communities, you can read the latest situation report released in April by the Inter Sector Coordination Group, the overarching body that is responsible for organizing the international response to the Rohingya refugee crisis.

GlobalGiving’s partner organizations continue to work day in and day out to deliver lifesaving services and support to the Rohingya. Here are recent updates from several of our partners:

• JAAGO Foundation is expanding its Safe Haven Project that provides trauma counseling services to Rohingya children through the use, for example, of color therapy. To date, the organization has worked with 500 children.

• Friendship remains committed to providing a wide variety of services to Rohingya living within the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. As of May 2019, the organization has, among other accomplishments, installed more than 40 solar panels, built two maternity centers, distributed more than 12,000 hygiene kits, and installed nearly 200 hand-washing stations.

• World Concern is continuing to provide relief and safe spaces for Rohingya families in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. You can read more about the recent story of Sajeda, a woman supported by the organization.

• BRAC USA is working around the clock to prepare and protect Rohingya families from the impacts of the upcoming monsoon season. The organization has trained and deployed a team of 1,000 Rohingya community mobilization volunteers to conduct nearly 10,000 awareness meetings to prepare their community for the monsoon.

You and thousands of other GlobalGivers have raised more than $350,000 for our Rohingya Refugee Relief Fund and have helped make these stories of progress possible. Thank you for your generosity, and for choosing to support community-led organizations responding to this ongoing crisis.

The latest estimates say that more than 900,000 Rohingya people are now residing within Bangladesh as refugees, the vast majority of which are living in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. This represents more than 200,000 families unable to return home.

Previous discussions between the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar regarding the safe and dignified repatriation of an initial group of 2,200 refugees to Myanmar have stalled. More troubling, a recent Reuters special report outlines how specific forces within Myanmar are setting in motion acts seemingly aimed at preventing Rohingya refugees from ever returning to the homes that they were forced to flee in the face of extreme violence. Hundreds of Rohingya settlements have been partially or completely destroyed, with homes or entire villages burned to the ground and bulldozed to make way for new settlements for other ethnic groups.

In the midst of these concerning developments and immense challenges, we are incredibly thankful for your generous support. GlobalGiving remains deeply committed to our nonprofit partners that are working tirelessly to assist Rohingya refugees. Our partners’ work and dedication is a consistent beacon of hope. Here are several highlights from their work in recent months:

• JAAGO Foundation is continuing its Safe Haven Project (SHP) for Rohingya refugee children. At its core, SHP aims to provide a safe, child-friendly space for 500 children that have experienced trauma. Children are provided with psychosocial support, nutritious meals, and tailored learning programs.
• Internews is partnering with several other organizations to provide a snapshot of feedback received from Rohingya refugees and host communities, in the form of a newsletter, to inform better planned and implemented relief activities that take into account community needs and preferences.
• BRAC USA recently opened a two-story learning center in the Kutupalong camp. The center, incorporating Rohingya architectural traditions, will serve more than 250 Rohingya children. It will offer basic primary education for children aged 4-14, with an emphasis on learning through structured, play-based activities. The curriculum focuses on basic math, science, and literacy in Burmese and English, as well as life skills, physical play, rhymes, and stories.
• Artolution has lead several community-based public art projects, including murals across the Kutupalong camp, to creatively engage with Rohingya children. The projects seek to stand as a testament to the resiliency of the residents of the camp despite their displacement.

As we continue into 2019 together, we thank you again for standing up for the Rohingya people.

Warmly,
Chase Williams + the GlobalGiving Team