Large fire broke out in camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh on 23rd March where around 900,000 refugees are currently living. According to UN estimates, around 15 people lost their lives during the massive blaze, 560 people were injured and up to 10,000 families (more than 45,000 people) have been displaced, but the final numbers are still unclear. MSF’s Balukhali clinic … Read more
There are currently around 860,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Most of them live in Cox’s Bazar district. The activities which Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) carries out for these refugees are centralised around the so-called ‘mega camp’, a large collection of 26 camps. In recent years, barbed and razor wire fencing was erected. The living conditions … Read more
Faruk* is a Rohingya refugee – one of nearly a million – living in a camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. “No one wants to be a refugee; the life we have here is not easy. We live in an open prison,” Faruk says. “Life for a refugee is hellish and every day is the same. I can’t … Read more
“Spending our lives in the camps is difficult; the area is small and there is no space for the children to play,” says Abu Siddik. He lives in one of the camps in the Cox’s Bazar district of southeastern Bangladesh, where around 860,000 Rohingya refugees are crammed into just 26 square kilometres of land. “I left Myanmar because … Read more
One of the most densely populated countries in the world, Bangladesh also houses the world’s largest refugee camp. Across Cox’s Bazar, nearly one million Rohingya refugees live in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. As COVID-19 spreads through Bangladesh, these are the five key challenges to overcome. 1. Highly vulnerable populations Across Bangladesh, many impoverished communities face a precarious existence in crowded environments, making … Read more
In a pink room decorated with white flowers at Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) Kutupalong field hospital in the Cox’s Bazar district of southeastern Bangladesh, a woman lies curled around her sleeping child. Next to her, a young mother cradles a baby whilst her other daughter plays with a balloon. Rows of beds stretch … Read more
“Men can spend time outdoors; the women have to spend most of their time in their shacks. There is no privacy or physical space where they can be alone,” says Pooja Iyer, MSF’s mental health manager at the Jamtoli and Hakimpara camps for Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar. Iyer has been in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh … Read more
A loudspeaker from the mosque in Jamtoli comes to life at an unscheduled hour. Instead of the midday call to prayer, an imam asks his listeners to pay attention to their daily anxieties and seek help at the nearby MSF primary health centre. “The community trusts me, I believe mental health programmes are needed for … Read more
Sitting in a teashop in Kutupalong mega-camp, Bibi Jan tugs on her sleeve. She’s covering up scars inflicted during the largest-ever episode of violence against the Rohingya, in August 2017. She tells us of the events that forced her to flee to Bangladesh: her two brothers were killed, she herself was stabbed, and her village … Read more