An update from Cox’s Bazaar

I have been working with Rohingya refugees in the settlements near Cox’s Bazar [UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency]( [Rohingya Crisis, One Year On: Relocating Refugees to Safer Shelters]( Dear {NAME}, My name is Sarah Jabin. I am 32 and an Assistant Field Officer for UNHCR. I have been working with Rohingya refugees in the settlements near Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh for the last four months – my latest assignment with UNHCR to help refugees here in Asia. I am writing to you today at the one-year anniversary of the latest Rohingya refugee influx from Myanmar to Bangladesh. Since August 25, 2017, we have worked hard to increase our response, offering lifesaving support to refugee families, and particularly to the most vulnerable individuals, including women, children and the elderly. I feel fortunate to help serve the needs of Rohingya refugees each day here in Bangladesh – my home country – through the support of generous individuals like you. Here are a few questions I answered recently to show just how valuable your support has been for Rohingya families. What does a typical work day look like for you? I leave Cox’s Bazar for the Kutupalong refugee settlement at 7:30 each morning. It takes approximately an hour and a half to reach the camp. Most of the days, I spend this time coordinating with different partners over the phone. Once I arrive in the camp, the efforts immediately start on the ground. I mostly coordinate relocation-related issues such as water and sanitation facilities, availability of shelters, distribution of important supplies and other services that relocated families might need. This includes provision of food, sleeping materials and registration in the new areas of camp to which they’re being relocated. The day before relocation, we need to confirm the route to be used for the relocation convoy. Since the camp is still under construction, it requires constant updates on routes to arrange transportation and other logistics. Weather is also a very vital factor. Depending on the weather forecast, we need to determine which road can be used for the convoy. The day of relocation is about coordinating with partners and supervising the preparations that had been made the previous days. Depending on the needs in the ground, I return to base in the late afternoon, and work in the office until approximately 8 PM. What are you most proud of, in terms of the impact of relocation and other programs? For us, the main pre-monsoon focus was to relocate families at risk of landslide before the monsoon began. When we started to work on this, it seemed like an impossible job as we faced very strong resistance from the community. Out of hundreds we had on our list, only a handful agreed to be relocated. We knocked the doors again and again, used different messaging techniques but had no success for months. We knew the monsoon was fast approaching, and we did not have much time to move these families to safety. They had never faced landslides in Myanmar and could not comprehend what harm could it do until monsoon was underway and we started having landslides. When the community realized the threat, more people agreed to relocation. We are having more and more success each day, and I am proud to be part of the team that’s helping keep Rohingya refugee families safe. What is still needed in terms of relocation and new shelters in the Kutupalong settlement? We have space only to relocate families at risk of landslide, not for those who are at risk of flood. Space and shelter is crucial for these families as well, since Bangladesh has a very long monsoon and these families will inevitably suffer from flooding throughout the rainy season. Why should the world support Rohingya refugees? This population has no right (except for some cash for work in the camp) to work in Bangladesh. Bangladesh itself is an impoverished country, which is unable to provide long-term support to the Rohingya refugee population, which is almost a million people at this point. Because we’re at the one-year anniversary of the influx and we don’t see much hope for return to Myanmar in the near future, they need help to ensure basic support to survive in Bangladesh. Thanks to donors and supporters like you, UNHCR is able to provide lifesaving assistance, including clean water, nutritious food, health care and shelter. If you would like more details on UNHCR’s actions on the ground, you can read in-depth details about [our monsoon response here]( and to get a sense of the scale of the emergency, I recommend a visit to our [interactive website: Rohingya Refugee Emergency at a Glance](. Thank you again. With your support, we can continue to be there for people who have been through so much, and keep striving to build a better, safer life. Best wishes, Sarah Jabin, UNHCR Cox's Bazar Field Officer [UNHCR The UN refugee Agency]( [Donate now]( Stay connected [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( This email was sent by: UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) CH-1211 Genève 2 Dépôt Geneva, Case Postale, 2500, Switzerland [Unsubscribe]( | [Update Profile]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [View this in your browser](