Bangladesh | Development and Peace

Bangladesh

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Development and Peace – Caritas Canada is working in partnership with Caritas Bangladesh to respond to the most urgent needs of Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh, where most refugee are residing.

This region is densely populated, and the influx of refugees has placed strains on poor communities there. As such, our response also takes into account the needs of host communities affected by this crisis.

In the months following the start of the crisis in August 2017, we provided emergency food rations to 25,000 people who settled in and around refugee camps in Kutupalong and Nayapara.

Subsequently, we have focused our efforts on actions designed to maintain the dignity of Rohingya refugees, such as access to water, hygiene and sanitation, shelter construction, and the distribution of necessities.

Bangladesh citation

 

“We didn’t bring a thing. I just grabbed the children and ran.”

- Dilda Begum, 38, from the village of Udong in the district of Mangdu in Burma.

 

 

 

Lastly, we will continue to demand unhindered humanitarian access to Rakhine state in Burma so essential aid can reach the 450,000 Rohingya still there and who have limited access to basic services and live in extremely precarious conditions.

The challenges ahead

Today, Rohingya refugees are facing the triple threat of the monsoon season, a funding deficit for aid, and uncertainty about their future. Your generosity will have an immediate impact and it will enable us to consolidate our actions by:

  • Increasing access to water and sanitation services, safe shelters and other necessities.
  • Addressing the special needs of women and girls by promoting access to education, training, and psychosocial support.
  • Stepping up our action with host communities that are bearing the brunt of this crisis.

Finally, we will continue to call for unimpeded humanitarian access to Rakhine state in Burma so essential aid can reach the 450,000 Rohingya who are there and live in extremely precarious conditions.

The issues we work on to build justice

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Humanitarian aid

 

The situation

On August 25th, 2017, clashes erupted between the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and the Burmese Army in Rakhine State, a northern region of Burma often prone to violence. Ongoing violence and repression have forced several hundreds of thousands of people from the Muslim Rohingya minority to flee their country to take refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Between August 2017 and August 2018, over 830,000 Rohingya fled Burma and took the perilous journey to Bangladesh, raising the number of refugees there to almost 1 million.

The humanitarian crisis affecting the Rohingya continues to be alarming. Access to water, hygiene, and sanitation remain a priority.  

Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world, is a South Asian nation that is nearly completed bordered by India, except for a small border with Burma in the extreme South. Characterized by great inequalities within its own population, Bangladesh has also seen its economic growth slowed by many recurring natural disasters. The country is regularly struck by cyclones, and each year, more than half of its territory is submerged by waters that destroy crops in the countryside, engulf homes, and kill livestock.

It is estimated that about 330,000 Bangladeshis are living in the area around the border with Burma and are directly affected by the current crisis.

 

News
March 24, 2021

Left to cope with homelessness, hunger and fears of a COVID-19 flare-up in the wake of a massive blaze, residents of the world’s largest refugee camp need our help.

September 27, 2020

The World Day of Migrants and Refugees is an occasion to be reminded that displaced people everywhere, including the Rohingya, need all the help that Canadians can offer.

June 20, 2020

On World Refugee Day, we look at how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting forcibly displaced communities and how Development and Peace’s partners are serving them.

January 24, 2020

The UN court’s ruling on the case brought by the Gambia establishes an important precedent while protecting a persecuted people.

November 19, 2019

Development and Peace — Caritas Canada welcomes the Government of Canada’s ongoing commitment to have the persecution of the Rohingya people recognized as genocide...

May 23, 2019

A $1-million contribution from Global Affairs Canada will enable Development and Peace – Caritas Canada to expand its support to Rohingya refugees.

visiting Rohingya refugee camps
December 20, 2018

“This camp is a cry to the whole world for a better politics based on compassion and solidarity,” said Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, president...

September 27, 2018

On September 20, 2018, the House of Commons unanimously adopted a motion to recognize the treatment of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority...

August 23, 2018

Montreal, August 23, 2018 – One year since the start of a mass exodus of Rohingya people fleeing violence and persecution in Burma (also known as Myanmar), there are now nearly one million refugees in neighbouring...

Thanks donors for their generosity in supporting the Rohingya people
December 15, 2017

Montreal, December 15, 2017 –  Development and Peace – Caritas Canada wishes to express its heartfelt gratitude to its donors for their quick and generous response to the crisis affecting the Rohingya people of Myanmar.

Pope Francis’ moment of encounter with Rohingya refugees
December 8, 2017

While traveling in Myanmar and Bangladesh from November 30 to December 2, Pope Francis met with Rohingya children, women and men. Here is an account of his visit.

Let's not forget the Rohingya refugees
November 27, 2017

Today’s visit to Bangladesh by Pope Francis reminds us of how important it is for us to stand together with Rohingya refugees, who are living in terrible conditions with little food or water, lacking sanitation facilities, and without knowing if they will ever be able...

We came empty handed to Bangladesh
November 2, 2017

The situation of the Rohingya does not seem to be improving. Two months have now gone by since a military operation in Rakhine State, located in a poor region in the far west of Burma, pushed nearly one million people into neighboring Bangladesh so they could escape the violence.

Development and Peace - Caritas Canada launches an emergency call to help Rohingya refugees
November 1, 2017

Montreal, November 1, 2017 - Development and Peace - Caritas Canada is launching an emergency appeal to help Rohingya communities who have been forced to flee Myanmar and seek refuge in Bangladesh and is...

September 29, 2017

The below-named Canadian civil society organizations and individuals, who all have a strong interest and/or long experience of working in the Asia-Pacific region, are gravely concerned regarding the latest wave...

Devp is saddened by the situation in Burma
September 20, 2017

As a result of renewed violence which erupted on August 25th, 2017 between the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army and the Myanmar army, in northern Rakhine State in Myanmar (the official name of Burma), several hundreds...

July 17, 2013

Fighting between the Burmese Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in the North of Burma over the last two years has led to the displacement of 75,000 people in the region. Many have taken refuge in camps, however, basic necessities and services in the camps are scarce, leaving the displaced in a highly vulnerable position.

Resources
Videos

YOUR GENEROSITY SAVES LIVES

One year after the massive exodus of Rohingya refugees, see how your generosity has had a positive impact on thousands of children, women, and men, who today can live in dignity.

Without solidarity nothing is possible. Your generosity saves lives.

 

The importance of basic necessities in everyday life

To support refugees in their daily lives, Development and Peace - Caritas Canada and its partner Caritas Bangladesh are distributing basic necessities, including cooking utensils, stoves with gas cylinders for fuel, solar lamps, mosquito nets, and umbrellas.

 

Relocation of refugee families and construction of reinforced shelters at the height of the monsoon

In Kutupalong camp, heavy rains cause flooding and landslides, while strong winds damage or destroy the most fragile shelters, leaving thousands of families vulnerable and defenceless. Development and Peace - Caritas Canada and its partner Caritas Bangladesh are building temporary shelters for the most vulnerable refugee families.

 

Pictures

Réfugiés rohingyas : Un an après, la crise perdure / Rohingya Refugees : One year later the crisis continues

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Development and Peace and marked Rohingya Refugee Crisis to
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