Disaster Response Bangladesh Project #31416

Support Children in the Rohingya Refugee Crisis

by UNICEF USA

Support Children in the Rohingya Refugee Crisis

Project Report | Jun 10, 2020
Update: Rohingya Refugee Crisis

By Whitney Simon | Manager, Global Cause Partnerships

UNICEF/UNI238938/CHAK

Dear Friend,

Over two and half years after the initial influx began, nearly 855,000 Rohingya refugees remain in Cox’s Bazar District of Bangladesh, 54.2 percent of whom are children. Rohingya children continue to suffer from acute malnutrition as well as vaccine-preventable and water-borne diseases. Conditions are not yet in place for the safe, dignified and voluntary return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, and no feasible durable solutions have been identified. Consequently, time has begun to wear down families’ existing coping mechanisms, placing children increasingly at risk of early marriage, hazardous labor, trafficking and getting pulled out of school, among other concerns. These negative effects are compounded by COVID-19, which has been confirmed within Cox Bazar.

Rohingya refugees remain fully dependent on humanitarian assistance, with relatively no access to livelihoods or cash assistance. Household vulnerability within the camps is increasing. In 2019, only 54 percent of households met an acceptable level of food consumption, with dietary diversity a key concern, contributing to the continued serious levels of acute malnutrition among children. In 2019, 11 percent of children under five were acutely malnourished.

Within this humanitarian context, women, adolescents and people with disabilities are particularly affected. Women face restrictions on their freedom of movement as well as high levels of violence. Rohingya adolescents, meanwhile, face multi-faceted and interlinked issues, including access to adequate services, quality learning opportunities, sociocultural challenges including exposure to violence, sexual harassment and assault; and adverse social practices such as child marriage and child labor. Children with disabilities in the camps are often isolated, reducing their social network, inclusion and access to services.

Thanks to your support, in 2019, UNICEF and partners reached full coverage of access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services for Rohingya children and their families within UNICEF-supported camps. Additional key results include:

The provision of over 339,160 primary health consultations in 2019, including nearly 156,250 consultations for children under the age of five;
Treatment for nearly 15,850 children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition;
The provision of learning opportunities to more than 219,760 Rohingya children aged 4 to 14;
Reaching 625 children with disabilities with education opportunities
Introduction of an integrated adolescent program which extended life and vocational skills opportunities to 52,572 adolescents aged 15 to 18 in camps and host communities;

Throughout 2020, UNICEF will provide girls, women, the elderly and people with disabilities with modified WASH infrastructure to meet their needs. Additionally, UNICEF and education partners will work to identify new and innovative solutions to ensuring that adolescent girls are able to realize their right to education including single-sex class shifts and female volunteers to escort them to and from classes. Inclusive education initiatives will also be scaled up, and all programs will focus on ensuring the integration of children with disabilities. Your continued support is crucial to enhancing UNICEF’s ability to efficiently scale up its response within the Rohingya refugee camps.

Sincerely,

Whitney Simon

Links:

Rohingya Face Higher Risk of Gender-Based Violence During COVID

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Feb 13, 2020
Update: The Rohingya Refugee Crisis

By Whitney Simon | Manager, Global Cause Partnerships

UNICEF/UNI255780/CHAK

Dear Friend,

In August 2017, when hundreds of thousands of refugees from Myanmar fled to Bangladesh, the world took note. Of particular concern was the fact that out of the 730,000 Rohingya refugees flooding Bangladesh’s beaches and paddy fields, almost 60 percent of them were children. Today, around 910,000 Rohingya have settled in Cox’s Bazar District in southern Bangladesh. Life for these refugees, especially for children, is characterized by uncertainty. Despite having access to some basic services, Rohingya children remain highly dependent on short term aid and live in precarious conditions, particularly in the cramped camps where living conditions are difficult and dangerous.

In 2019, UNICEF noted an increase in child exploitation within the Rohingya refugee camps. In Bangladesh, Rohingya children are not registered at birth. Consequently, with a lack of legal identity these children are unable to secure refugee status and often become appealing targets to criminal groups for labor and sexual exploitation. Girls in particular are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation and gender-based violence.

UNICEF is also concerned by the number of children who are unable to obtain an education. Although UNICEF has been able to provide access to learning for nearly 213,000 Rohingya children ages 4 to 14 through 2,167 learning centers, there are still 25,000 children who are not attending any learning program. Furthermore, 97 percent of children aged 15 to 18 years old are not attending any type of education facility. UNICEF fears that these children run the risk of becoming a “lost generation” if there are unable to continue to receive an education while displaced.

Thanks to your support, UNICEF is working closely with partners to provide essential water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), health, nutrition, education and child protection services to the Rohingya refugees.

In 2019 UNICEF and partners achieved the following results for Rohingya refugees:

More than 565,000 people reached with access to safe water
Nearly 57,000 children reached with psychosocial support services
More than 73,000 children reached with pentavalent three vaccine
Nearly 213,000 children aged 4 to 14 enrolled in emergency non-formal education
Nearly 12,000 children treated for severe acute malnutrition

In 2020 UNICEF desires to continue to scale up its response amongst the Rohingya refugee population. In particular, the quality of education requires further improvement and while access to water has improved, there are still persistent issues with quality. Your continued support will allow us to continue to maintain the livelihoods of Rohingya children in the coming year. Thank you for your partnership and for all you do to create a better world for children.

Sincerely,

Whitney Simon

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Nov 21, 2019
Update: Supporting Rohingya Children in Cox Bazar

By Whitney Simon | Manager, Global Cause Partnerships

Dear Friend,

Thanks to your generous support, UNICEF continues its efforts to provide Rohingya children and their families with the life-saving interventions they need. UNICEF helped to avert major disease outbreaks by focusing on prevention, social mobilization, service coverage and quality improvements in health, nutrition and water services. The education sector reached over 90 percent of Rohingya children aged 4 to 14 living in camps with education. Additionally, integrated vocational and life skills programs are reaching 12,500 adolescent boys and girls in camps and host communities. As part of the sector-wide approach to water safety, piped water networks were constructed to improve the quality and sustainability of drinking water. Additional water networks planned and will reach 80 percent of the population, with your support.

In the first half of 2019, UNICEF and its partners have:

Admitted 8,598 Rohingya children to 35 outpatient therapeutic programs for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition;
Fully immunized 56,494 infants in camps and host communities, protecting them against measles, diphtheria and other diseases;
Reached 250,000 Rohingya refugees with safe water. Fourteen piped water networks have been completed, meaning 84,500 or one-third of the refugees in the UNICEF’s area of responsibility are accessing water chlorinated during distribution;
Provided psychosocial support for 58,427 children to contribute to the mental, social and emotional well-being;
Ensured access to learning for 192,063 (49 per cent girls) Rohingya children aged 4 to 14 years in 2,167 learning centers

As the humanitarian needs in Cox’s Bazar develop, and the lives of children are affected, UNICEF and its partners will continue scaling up activities in Bangladesh thanks to donations like yours. We greatly appreciate your commitment to ensuring a bright future for Rohingya children and their families.

Sincerely,

Whitney Simon

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