In Cox's Bazar there is the world's largest refugee camp "Kutupalong". Simply constructed bamboo huts, covered only with tarpaulins, are lined up close together. Since August 2017, more than 740,000 Rohingya people have found refuge in the border region after fleeing violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar.
In total, Cox's Bazar is currently hosting more than 900,000 people from Myanmar in 34 overcrowded camps. More than half of them are women and children, often having experienced terrible things during their flight.
The return to their home country is still unclear for the refugees. In extremely difficult and cramped living conditions, they suffer from poverty, instability and threats to their health.
The camps that have been created mean additional challenges to the existing communities in Cox's Bazar, as the region is already one of the poorest and most disaster-prone areas in Bangladesh.
During the cyclone and monsoon seasons, people live in constant danger of suffering from damage due to landslides and floods. In addition, the situation has been exacerbated extremely by the Corona pandemic.
The situation of the people – both the refugees from Myanmar and the Bangladeshi population – is still precarious. It requires a longer-term and broad-based humanitarian intervention.
The makeshift tent camps constructed from bamboo and plastic sheets offer insufficient protection against heavy rains and recurring storms.
The hygienic conditions are alarming: many sanitary facilities in the camps – often emergency toilets without washing amenities – are dilapidated. In addition, there is often a lack of adequate lighting, leaving women and children in particular not feeling safe there.
Since the water supply in the camps is not developed with blanket coverage, the people are often forced to collect water from contaminated sources, which leads to diarrhoea and other diseases. At the same time water treatment in households is inadequate: Chlorine tablets are often not used properly and are not sustainable. It is therefore necessary to test alternative forms of treatment and to change the hygiene behaviour of those affected in the long term.
As a long-standing partner in emergency relief and disaster preparedness, the German Red Cross has been supporting the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) since the beginning of the large-scale refugee movement. It is present on the ground with international and local staff.
The activities aiming to support refugees and host communities focus on strengthening shelters in the face of extreme weather as well as on maintaining and improving water and sanitation services.
In addition, the German Red Cross is engaged in building and expanding the local capacity of the BDRCS and targets to strengthen the cross-country cooperation with the Red Cross in Myanmar.
Since mid-2017, they have been working tirelessly in order to assist the refugees from Myanmar: the professionals and volunteers of the Bangladesh Red Crescent as well as the German Red Cross. They adapt to changing conditions and always do their best despite all adversities - such as extreme weather or the COVID-19 pandemic. Get to know some of them. ►
Cox's Bazar is one of the poorest regions in Bangladesh. This makes it all the more important to support not only the refugees but also people in the host communities in order to promote peaceful coexistence.
* Name modified editorially
Region: Cox's Bazar
Project volume: 2,339,376 €
Duration: 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021
Funding by: German Federal Foreign Office, German Red Cross/Donations
Partners: Bangladesh Red Crescent
Region: Cox's Bazar
Project volume: 1,262,745.02 €
Duration: 1 January 2019 to 31 October 2021
Funding: German Red Cross/Donations
Partner: Bangladesh Red Crescent
Region: Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh and Rakhine, Myanmar
Project volume: 2,908,708 €
Duration: 1 September 2019 to 31 December 2023
Financing: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, German Red Cross/donations
Partners: Bangladesh Red Crescent, Myanmar Red Cross