Rohingya Crisis in 2017: A Community Led Approach to Humanitarian Support

When the brutal 2017 genocide in Myanmar forced over 700,000 Rohingya people over the border into Bangladesh, Children on the Edge were ready to respond to the crisis.

The majority of refugees arrived directly into the areas where we had been working with refugee children since 2010.  Our relationship with the Rohingya refugee community was firmly established and we were uniquely placed to offer humanitarian support. 

As the news of the crisis hit the headlines and many agencies arrived in the area, much of the relief effort was rushed, and carried without full consultation with local communities. Our Asia Regional Manager, John Littleton described how:

“As is common in situations of crisis, the primary issue facing relief efforts amongst the many agencies in the camps is one of coordination. This, coupled with the pressure to demonstrate results to donors, has led to a wealth of rash decisions and poorly delivered services across multiple sectors”.

WATER PROVISION 

A situation assessment in November 2017 revealed that many of the wells implemented by other agencies had been dug too shallow, or built near latrines causing contamination.

After consultation with the local community, we built 34 tube wells which were well placed and dug to over 600ft.

​Hassan had been in the camp for two months when we dug the new well in his section. He represents one of the 100 families that used the wells and said:

“There are four other tube wells in our section of the camp, but this is the only one which gives clean water.​ Before we used to just use the dirty water or walk about 1 km to another deep well in the registered part of the camp”.

LATRINES

Many latrines had been placed either by water sources, creating contamination, or on steep inclines, leaving them at high risk of being washed away once the rainy season comes. They were mostly full or broken, rendering them useless for residents of the camp.

The 200  latrines installed by Children on the Edge were dug to a proper depth and were maintained by community committees who were consulted throughout the process.

Naeem was one of the 35,000 people living in the areas where the new latrines were built. He described how:

“Before people would come and build a well or a latrine and then they leave. They don’t talk to us. We don’t know who they are. They just hang up their sign and leave when it is finished. But these people talk to us. We know who they are. When the other toilets and wells are broken, there is nothing we can do. Some of the wells only worked for one week. It’s a big waste of money”.

FOOD PROVISION

Alongside rice provisions from the World Food Programme, our parcels covered gaps in provision,  serving over 35,000 people and including food items that were higher in nutrition, like lentils, sugar, salt and oil. We also included Oral Rehydration Sachets (ORS).

Aadila, age 30 said of the parcels: “I am careful with how much I cook every day. We each eat one handful of rice a day with a small portion of the lentils. I can feed my whole family this way for 2 weeks.”

LIGHTING

We provided 5,250 solar lights as communities told us that without a source of light for the evening many families had trouble with cooking and other tasks, and travelling around the camp in the dark was dangerous for women. The lighting units were strong, waterproof and portable.

SAFE SPACES AND FUTURE EDUCATION ACCESS

By doubling up our established classrooms in Kutupalong, we were able to provide safe spaces for up to 2,250 newly arrived Rohingya children each day.

The children talked of skipping, games, singing and how kind their teachers are. They focused on songs they had learned, who was winning games, and what they had drawn, rather than what they had been through. Trained refugee teachers didn’t address trauma directly, but created a safe environment where children could forget where they are and what they had  been through.

Over the years since the crisis, both the news cameras and many agencies have now moved on, but Children on the Edge has remained with the refugee community. We originally built 150 classrooms and provided award winning digital learning so children can learn in their own language and understand their lessons. 

We are now pursuing the use of ‘Hanifi’ script so children can read and write in their own language for the first time ever, and we have extended our education work to Bhasan Char island where many refugees have been relocated.