WHAT IS HAPPENING IN BANGLADESH

Bangladesh is a country in southern Asia. A small, under-developed, and overcrowded country, it has recently come under extra heavy strain with the massive surge of refugees arriving from nearby Burma. In February 2018 the United Nations estimates almost 1 million refugees have fled Burma and sought refuge in Bangladesh namely, the Cox’s Bazar area.

Who are the Rohingya people?

The Rohingya people are an ethnic, Muslim group of people who were residing in Burma or present-day Myanmar before the military attacks began in 2017.

In 1948 Burma gained its independence from Britain and soon after military rule began. 1982 the government of Burma rendered the Rohingya people stateless when it refused to identify them as one of its national ethnic groups. In 1989 Burma is renamed to Myanmar. Conflict continued between the Myanmar government and the Rohingya people until 2017 when massive violence erupted.

Since 2017, hundreds of Rohingya people fled the genocide and ethnic cleansing in Myanmar by escaping to neighboring Bangladesh.

What is life like in Bangladesh for the Rohingya refugees?

Before the influx of arriving Rohingya refugees, Bangladesh struggled with economic stability and development. Since the Rohingya refugees’ arrival, conditions in Bangladesh have become much worse. The locals who were originally poor, are now competing with Rohingya refugees for minimum wage jobs, over-crowded grocery stores, and land being taken from them to build campsites for the refugees.

Without adequate shelter, refugees are exposed to dangerous weather conditions, malnutrition, contaminated water, unhygienic environments, diseases, and early death. Furthermore, when needed, Rohingya refugees have zero to minimal access for schooling, medical services, or basic necessities needed for survival.

How safe and protected are children and women?

Including the high risk of disease and malnutrition, children and women are especially at risk for experiencing adverse conditions. Child exploitation, abduction, abuse, and lack of safety are all protection issues faced by Rohingya children. Likewise, women face many safety issues, with gender-based violence (GBV) being the leading danger. Gender-based violence faced by females includes abuse, exploitation, trafficking, sexual valance, early marriage, and other conditions which put women’s health and well-being at risk.

What is Mercy Without Limits (MWL) doing in Bangladesh?

Mercy Without Limits has been working in Bangladesh since 2017. Our main and initial focus was on emergency relief. Since then, we have expanded our efforts to accommodate other programs and projects intended to empower and support Rohingya refugees. This includes orphan care program, food security project, water & sanitation hygiene project, and healthcare project.

Specifically, Mercy Without Limits has built:

• 1000 Homes for Refugees
• 200 Bathrooms for Families
• 100 Showers for Families
• 5 Schools
• 300 Water Wells

How Can i Help

You can help the Rohingya people by supporting Mercy Without Limits and:

1.   Donate to support our general programs and projects at Mercy For Rohingya
2.   You can build a water well for $500 and it will last 10 years with the Tubewell water well.
3.   You can build an even bigger water well for $3000 and ensure 150 families have access to clean and drinking water for 10 years.
4.   You can build the biggest well ever, the Deep Well with solar Power Pump which also gets drinking water for 150 families.
5.   You can also participate in the building of the Rohingya people’s faith centers for $5000 per month.