Nine Years of Struggle: Rohingya Children Caught Between Climate Disasters and Plunging Aid

• Compounding Disasters & Plunging Aid: Nine years into protracted displacement, nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees face the combined threat of severe El Niño–driven climate shocks—including 638 disasters in July alone—and a critical 24% shortfall in humanitarian funding for the 2026 Joint Response Plan.
• Integrated Lifelines for Child Wellbeing: World Vision's response reached over 352,000 individuals across 19 camps and 26 host unions, providing essential nutrition, Psychological First Aid (PFA), safe water for 91,000+ people daily, and vital protection systems for 164,563 children.
• Operationalising the HDP Nexus: World Vision stands in solidarity with the NGO Platform and calls on global donors to share responsibility by bridging humanitarian relief with long-term development, social cohesion, and peacebuilding (the HDP Nexus)—empowering local actors to lead sustainable, climate-resilient solutions.

COX’S BAZAR, BANGLADESH (25 August 2026) — Marking nine years since the 2017 mass displacement, World Vision warns that compounding climate shocks, shifting El Niño patterns, and sharp international funding shortfalls are pushing nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees and surrounding host communities to the brink.

The nine-year milestone arrives as the 2026 Joint Response Plan (JRP) faces a 24% reduction to $710.5 million, leaving essential services severely constrained just as extreme weather escalates. 

Between July 5 and 19 alone, 638 climate-related incidents tore through camp settlements, impacting 56,643 individuals and displacing more than 13,000 refugees. Landslides and flash floods claimed 15 lives—including children—while damaging learning centres, water points, latrines, and makeshift shelters. Across adjacent host communities, over 260,000 people were affected.

Jared Berends, National Director, World Vision Bangladesh, said, “Entering our ninth year of response, we are witnessing a dangerous convergence where protracted displacement meets intense climate volatility. Shifting El Niño weather patterns are turning the monsoon into an existential threat for already vulnerable families. Protecting the well-being of children and communities requires more than emergency relief; it demands sustained international funding, climate-resilient infrastructure, and long-term investment so an entire generation is not left behind.”

 Safeguarding Children and Youth Amid Compounding Shocks

Operating across 19 camps and 26 host community unions in four sub-districts, World Vision’s Bangladesh Rohingya Crisis Response (WVBRCR) reached 352,760 individuals in 2026, focusing on health, protection, and vital care for 164,563 children. 

 Response Highlights: 

 ·       Emergency Nutrition & Food Security: Distributed 7,369 emergency hot meals to families displaced by landslides and maintained e-voucher food assistance for 44,791 households (over 221,000 individuals) to prevent malnutrition.

·       Child Protection & Psychosocial Support: Delivered Psychological First Aid (PFA) and psychosocial support to over 1,000 children and adolescents, establishing safe spaces to manage trauma from compounding disasters and displacement.

·       WASH Services: Provided clean drinking water to 91,695 people daily, repaired 801 latrine cubicles, and treated over 17.5 million litres of sludge to prevent waterborne disease outbreaks in flood zones. 

·       Youth Empowerment and Protection: Engaged adolescents through multimedia learning sessions covering reproductive health, hygiene, and trafficking prevention.

 A Collective Call for the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus

World Vision joins the NGO Platform and humanitarian partners in urging the international community to move beyond short-term survival and commit to decisive, collective action rooted in the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus:

• Sustained Financing for Lifesaving Needs & Host Communities: Fully fund the Joint Response Plan (JRP) to prevent critical food, healthcare, and education lifelines from collapsing, while expanding dedicated social cohesion and infrastructure support for local host communities.
• Investing in Education, Self-Reliance & Youth Skills: Scale up accredited learning, vocational training, and market-driven livelihoods that build self-reliance and empower adolescents to actively shape their futures.
• Strengthening Protection, Documentation & Climate Resilience: Ensure standardised registration for all refugees—including over 150,000 new arrivals since 2024—while investing in disaster-resilient infrastructure, survivor-centred protection, and mental health support to mitigate environmental hazards and prevent dangerous onward journeys.
• Global Responsibility-Sharing & Peace Pathways: Mobilise diplomatic engagement to address root causes in Myanmar for safe, voluntary, and dignified return, while accelerating third-country resettlement and complementary mobility pathways so Bangladesh does not shoulder this crisis alone. 

Md. Mofizur Rahman, Deputy Response Director, World Vision Bangladesh Rohingya Crisis Response, said, “Meeting the complex challenges of protracted displacement requires deep collaboration, robust multi-stakeholder partnerships, and meaningful localisation. But the deeper work is keeping hope alive. By empowering local actors and ensuring refugee and host communities are central to shaping solutions, we create interventions that are truly sustainable. Global responsibility-sharing must translate into equitable partnerships on the ground — investing in local capacity, climate-resilient systems, and dignity for every child and family.”

As the Rohingya crisis approaches its tenth year in 2027, World Vision urges the international community to safeguard the rights and health of children, families, and host communities by providing sustained humanitarian funding to confront protracted displacement and intensifying climate emergencies with enduring hope.

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For media arrangements, please contact: 

 Devahish Sarker (based in Dhaka)

WV Bangladesh Manager – Internal Brand and Communications

Email: devahish_sarker@wvi.org

Contact: +8801712800421(Whatsapp)

Spokesperson: 

Md. Mofizur Rahman (in Cox’s Bazaar)

WV BRCR Deputy Response Director 

Email: md.mofizur_rahman@wvi.org