A distant reality

Saturday, September 23, 2017

"We saw how our people including our relatives were killed and hurt. Many villlages were burned down so we hid ourselves to survive. We are afraid to go back," says Roshida Begum.

Roshida Begum’s husband was a fisherman back in Myanmar. They have four daughters and two sons.

Their escape took them three days - crossing one hill to another from Myanmar. They hired a boat to move them to the Bangladesh border. After their challenging journey they found some shelter in the refugee camp.

"This country has allowed us to stay safe and provided us shelter," adds Roshida Begum.

It has been ten days sinceRoshida’s family fled the violence that erupted in the Rakhine State, Myanmar. When they recieve relief goods, she divides the food accordingly so all children eat. But in most days, they have nothing to eat.

"We don't have money so we can't buy food or medicine. We are totally dependent on the relief assistance. We don’t have the luxury of three meals a day," says Roshida Begum.

"My children and husband roam around the campsite in search for food. We don't know how many days we have to go on like this," she added.

In the camp, there are a few sources of drinking water like a tube well provided by the government. Around 50 families share one tube well. The sanitation facilities are still very poor.

To add to the challenges, continuous rain in Cox's Bazar has inundated the makeshift shelters, leaving the refugees to wrestle with consequences of the damp cold environment. Fever and cold ripples through the camp, especially affecting the children’s health. Parents struggle to get medical attention.


In proportion to the refuge population in the camps, the medical checkup points are too few in number.

World Vision will begin food distributions on 24 September to 15,200 refugees (3,050 households) who fled fighting in Myanmar.  Relief will be distributed at Ukhia “upazilla” (sub-division) in Cox’s Bazar District. The food package contains rice, lentils, salt, cooking oil, and sugar for the next two months to meet critical needs. First priority goes to persons most vulnerable to malnutrition and medical complications:  children, female-headed families, pregnant and lactating mothers, people with disabilities and the elderly.

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Story by Shabir Hussain/World Vision Bangladesh Communications Staff