Appeal for Partnership Support to Emergency Humanitarian Activities for Stateless Rohingya Refugees (Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals) in Cox’s Bazar!

10 Apr 2018 | 12: 00 pm

Humanitarian Appeal for Support to Emergency Humanitarian Activities for Stateless Rohingya Refugees (Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals-FDMNs) in Cox’s Bazar!

Greeting from ISDE Bangladesh!

As we are all, aware about the in the most recent outbreak of violence, a huge numbers are dead and many of them have fled their destroyed villages to neighboring Bangladesh, many with injuries. The displaced have stories of bloodshed and frantic escapes from villages where they had to leave behind all their belongings and in many cases family members. “There is an urgent need to ensure that displaced people and other civilians affected by the violence are protected and are given safe access to humanitarian assistance including food, water, shelter, and health services, “Peron said (UN Representative), Human rights organizations along with the International media have described the Rohingya people as one of the most persecuted ethnic groups in the world. They have no legal protection and are denied citizenship in Myanmar, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination, exploitation and violence. Most Rohingya Muslims live in the impoverished area of western Rakhine State, and are subject to harsh restrictions on their ability to work and travel.

Rohingya refugees fleeing to Bangladesh urgently require medical and humanitarian assistance, as an already dire humanitarian situation along the border with Myanmar worsens. The majority of the new arrivals are now staying in existing makeshift settlements IOM or UNHCR-registered camps, in three new temporary camps that have emerged, or among the host community. Many refugees are stranded in no-man’s land between the border with Myanmar. Even prior to the most recent influx, many Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh lived in unsafe, overcrowded and unhygienic conditions with little protection from the elements.

The limited shelter capacity is already exhausted. Refugees are now squatting in makeshift shelters that have mushroomed along the road and on available land in the Ukhiya and Teknaf areas. The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim and Hindu minority in Myanmar who have faced discrimination and extreme poverty for decades. They have not been allowed to exercise their basic rights including the freedom to move, right to education, work and other social, civil and political rights. The Rohingya fleeing Myanmar are now stateless refugees, making them even more vulnerable and adding more challenges to the search for solutions. While most of Rohingya refugees arrives on foot, mostly walking through the jungle and mountains for several days, thousands are braving long and risky voyages across the rough seas of the Bay of Bengal. They wait on the Myanmar border to take fishing boats to Teknaf in Bangladesh. The vast majority are women including mothers with newborn babies, families with children. They arrive in poor condition, exhausted, hungry and desperate for shelter. We remain concerned by continuing reports of civilians dying as they try to flee to safety.

ISDE Bangladesh Sr. staffs are visited Teknaf and Ukhiya for conducting a primary survey to find out the needs of the Rohingya stateless refugees. As a local organization based in the Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong, Rohingya refugees and local administration are naturally expected ISDE Bangladesh will stand during the time of emergencies. For this reason we are appeal from the Rohingya refugees to extend your helping hands and cooperation. From last 19 September 2017 ISDE Bangladesh from its limited resources, already involved in distributed small amount of dry food, drinking water to the families with the collaboration of local administration under support from DoPeace USA. It has covered 1898 families under this event. In 2^nd round cooked food distribution in 29 September, and 3^rd round in 07 October 2017 covered around 2000 children in Ukhiya. 4^th round distributed 2000 families on last 14^th October 2017, the 5^th round on 21 October 2017 and 6^th round on 28 October 2017.

ISDE Bangladesh has been working with these host community peoples of Ukhiya and Teknaf for the last 15 years in developing health, education, food securities, nutrition, climate change, disaster risk reduction, water supply and sanitation, gender and women’s political empowerment women & rights and other socio economic development activities. ISDE Bangladesh is small local humanitarian organization with have past experienced with the local host communities but limited resources to response an emergency like this. ISDE Bangladesh, together with its field offices, is on the ground providing cook food distribution, safe drinking water and medical assistance to help the victims. At present ISDE is providing following emergency supports to the Rohingya Refugees at Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar;

We are soliciting your partnership support and cooperation to continue our ongoing activities and expand the coverage of services and continue it. Besides we are also talking with our development partners and patrons to extend their support in food security, non food items, shelter, WASH, GBV and child protection areas.

Rohingya refugees are lost their last resorts and undeserved due to stateless and hard to reach. So, we hope the appeal will consider with kind and sympathetic consideration. Please let us know, if you need more information, please contact me or my colleagues Mr. Md. Jahangir Alam, Programme Coordinator, ISDE BD (jahangir.isdebd@gmail.com,01819331752), & Mr. Jashim Uddin Siddique  (01818188716,  jarajashim@gmail.com),  ISDE Bangladesh, Cox’s Bazar, field office. We hope your support, suggestions and cooperation will be with us to serve the emergency supports to the stateless Rohingya Refugees in Cox’s Bazar.

Please act URGENTLY. Help us relieve their sufferings.