Humanitarian aid for Rohingya families

More than two years after the onset of the Rohingya refugee crisis, BRAC continues its efforts to support thousands of families. While meeting urgent, immediate needs is still a priority, we are also working to build long-term resilience and sustainable livelihoods for refugees and host communities affected by the crisis — including people like Rabiya, a member of the local host community.

When Rabiya was offered the opportunity to learn home gardening, she was eager to participate. After the training, BRAC equipped her with the inputs and tools to get her garden going, including seeds, manure, and tools such as a watering can, spade, and hoe.

Through ongoing training and mentorship from BRAC field experts, Rabiya has expanded her vegetable garden. Today, it is thriving.

“I produce vegetables in my own garden now,” she shared. “We eat them, sell them, and I can use the extra money for my children’s education.” She said that her family of 11, including her children and grandchildren, love the garden and enjoy helping her take care of it.

This season, the produce from Rabiya’s garden was significant. She harvested several pounds of local vegetables, including calabash gourds, bitter melon, and red amaranth, selling the excess in her own produce stand.

Having found success with her garden, Rabiya is also sharing what she has learned. “When I have spare time, I help my neighbors to set up and expand their gardens,” she said.

Rabiya’s family is one of more than 3,000 in the host community that BRAC has helped establish home gardens, bringing fresh, healthy produce into the homes and markets of Cox’s Bazar.

And in addition to home gardening support, our team of more than 2,500 expert staff and 5,000 volunteers are supporting thousands of refugee and host community families like Rabiya’s with a suite of critical services and support. To date:

• Over 60,000 children are enrolled in nearly 800 learning centers.
• We have conducted nearly 850,000 outpatient screenings in community health clinics.
• Nearly 750 women are being trained in artisan embroidery techniques and connected to markets.
• We are supporting more than 50,000 vulnerable people through protection services including psychosocial counseling, legal aid, referral services, and awareness training.

None of this would be possible without your continued support. Thank you for standing with families affected by crisis.

Links:

• Learn more on our website.

Gender-based violence is an ongoing challenge in the camps and settlements of Cox’s Bazar. According to a BBC study late last year, unhealthy practices persist in the community around gender and marriage, including child marriage and intimate partner violence.

But that is changing -- and a new program aims to involve men as part of the solution.

Working together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), BRAC is spearheading a new initiative in the camps and settlements to engage men as leaders in the fight against gender-based violence.

Leveraging an internationally recognized model used to combat gender-based violence, known as the Bystander to Role Model approach, men are equipping each other with the tools and knowledge they need to act as role models to the wider community and stop gender-based violence.

The program includes more than 100 men who are taking the lead in fighting sexual and gender-based violence, speaking weekly about a variety of topics including positive masculinity, child marriage, and polygamy. 

Built on a community-based model, the men in the program first undertake a series of trainings that equip them with the skills and knowledge they need to educate other men about gender-based violence. They then go on to become role models to other members of the community.

The overall goal is to enable young men to move from passive bystanders to empowered role models, who can confront abusive peers, support people who are abused, and ultimately stop gender-based violence in the community.

Maulana, a Rohingya man and member of the role model program, reflects upon the progress that he has seen:

“I have witnessed first-hand how child marriage has decreased in the camps, along with domestic violence and other forms of gender-based violence.”

Thank you for your commitment to building long-term skills, resilience, and knowledge for displaced Rohingya people. Your ongoing support powers innovative new solutions to persistent challenges faced by Rohingya refugees in the camps and settlements of Cox’s Bazar, like gender-based violence. Together, we can ensure Rohingya women and girls live in a safe, healthy, and dignified community.