Support Children in the Rohingya Refugee Crisis

Dear Friend,

Bangladesh continues to face complex humanitarian emergencies. The country is hosting over 895,000 Rohingya refugees, including 456,712 children, who fled violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar four years ago. Durable solutions are still being sought for their safe return to Myanmar. The COVID-19 pandemic, fire incidents, upsurge of acute watery diarrhoea/cholera, monsoon floods and landslides have further exacerbated their living conditions, especially for women and children.

In 2021, the humanitarian response in the camps was delivered at drastically reduced levels due to the COVID-19 situation and related restrictions. Nevertheless, UNICEF and partners worked tirelessly to deliver the most critical services through alternative means, such as home-based learning, and in compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures. Thanks to your generosity, UNICEF has continued to support caregiver-led education, ensuring that 190,663 Rohingya children (48 percent girls) engage in learning activities at home. UNICEF has also continued to use radio programs to reach 57,603 children (49 percent girls) including 536 children with disabilities. UNICEF supported the government to organize a national vitamin A campaign which reached nearly 147,000 Rohingya children. UNICEF has also provided over 78,250 primary health consultations amongst Rohingya refugees. Furthermore, UNICEF and partners have continued to provide access to quality water, sanitation and hygiene services to 242,000 Rohingya refugees (51 percent female and 1.2 percent people with disabilities).

As the year comes to a close, UNICEF and partners are looking ahead to 2022. UNICEF will continue to provide multi-sectoral, life-saving humanitarian and sustainable interventions for Rohingya children and their families. Adhering to COVID-19 infection prevention and control measures, UNICEF will prioritize continuity of services in the camps, focusing on:

• The safe reopening of learning centers;
• Enhancing primary healthcare, improving coverage of immunization services; and 
• Addressing the needs of women and girls, including through mitigation, prevention and response to gender-based violence

On behalf of the vulnerable Rohingya children in Bangladesh, thank you for your continued support.  

In partnership,

Kelly Procida