Beyond survival: Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh want to learn
Rohingya children and young people want more than survival – they want a hopeful future, too, For the last two years, more than 900,000 stateless Rohingya refugees living in the camps of the Cox’s Bazar district in southeast Bangladesh have focused on survival. New infrastructure and efforts aimed at providing the basics of health care, nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene have improved conditions for the children and families who…, Crisis at a glance, Bangladesh. A child walks through a refugee camp. A young boy walks to a learning centre during the monsoon rains in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. What’s happening? Rohingya who fled persecution and violence in Myanmar starting in August 2017 found refuge among an already vulnerable population in the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh. As of August…, A desire for education, For children and young people, the protracted sense of limbo has awoken an intense desire for learning opportunities that prepare them for the future. UNICEF and its partners have ensured access to learning for 192,000 Rohingya children aged 4 to 14, who are enrolled in 2,167 learning centres. At the same time, the latest assessments show that…, Challenges ahead, Adolescents are the most excluded of all when it comes to learning, and even younger adolescents find little to do in the camp. This idleness and a lack of opportunity can be a recipe for trouble. Education for girls lags even further behind. In most cases, when girls reach puberty, they are withdrawn from school by their families. Surveys suggest…, Back to the drawing board, While the quality of learning for younger children needs strengthening, an entire adolescent curriculum needs to be established, offering foundational skills in literacy and numeracy alongside more practical vocational skills that can translate into opportunities in entrepreneurship. This task can only be achieved and taken to scale with the full…, How UNICEF is helping, When the huge influx of refugees began in 2017, UNICEF and partners responded by setting up about 2,000 learning centres in the camps. UNICEF and partners have developed around 100 adolescent clubs and established a network of youth centres that offer psychosocial support and classes in literacy, numeracy, life skills and vocational skills. By May…, A multi-pronged approach, However, a lack of education is only one of the obstacles children and families face in the Cox’s Bazar district. As the emergency response continues, it has become increasingly important to provide services that build bridges to the local community, protect children’s health and nutrition, and offer safe water and sanitation. UNICEF and partners…, Looking ahead, Two years after hundreds of Rohingya refugees began flooding into southern Bangladesh, the immense humanitarian effort led by the Government of Bangladesh has stabilized conditions in the Cox’s Bazar district. However, the task is by no means over. The basic day-to-day needs of the Rohingya are being met. But providing for their longer-term needs…, Read more
