An estimated 655,500 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh since 25 August 2017, fleeing violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
We are pursuing an adaptive, phase-wise strategy that sequences our interventions to maximise responsiveness and impact, with the aim of providing integrated services to displaced people and host communities.
This includes an initial phase of focused services to address the most urgent needs, a transitional phase of incorporating additional critical services and a more organised phase with comprehensive solutions.
Our approach is providing critical services at scale in the sectors where we are currently a leading provider in Bangladesh, such as water, sanitation, health, nutrition, protection, education, livelihood security, intensive behavioural change communication and counselling, and distribution of non-food items and shelter as necessary to ensure dignity and wellbeing
.A key focus is supporting the host communities, where we have been working for 32 years already. We have scaled up in a number of areas, including financial inclusion, health, education, and WASH. We have recruited 1,100 humanitarian staff from host communities and increased disbursement of microcredit to support entrepreneurs and small enterprises.
The overall goal is that Rohingyas and host communities live with dignity, security, and opportunity, in social and economic harmony, until acceptable repatriation opportunities become possible.
MOHAMMAD AYAAS
I came from Myanmar on a boat full of strangers. My father and mother were both killed. I got separated from my sisters and brothers. I have not heard from them since I reached Bangladesh. At first I did not know what to do or even what had happened. I still do not understand. I don’t have my parents but I do have Rafiq majhi. He is the one who takes care of me. He is my father now. I also have a new mother. They love me like my parents used to.
I think about my parents a lot. I don’t have any pictures of them but I remember their faces. I also have a friend here - Nabi. He is like my brother.
I love coming to the child-friendly space. I play football with him. We also love playing carom. Nabi is really good. I taught him how to play. We share everything together. Sometimes, we get biscuits and share them with each other. I do not want to stay here forever though. I want to go to Saudi Arabia and build big, tall buildings - so I am learning English and math. Before coming to Bangladesh, I had never thought about Saudi Arabia. After I came here I heard people talk about how good life can be when one works there and began thinking about it.