SHELTER APPEAL
There are an estimated 3.5 million Rohingya dispersed worldwide, a Muslim minority who practice a Sufi-inflected variation of Sunni Islam.
The Rohingya refugee crisis is a humanitarian disaster that has rapidly grown in numbers, yet declined in access and resources. More than 1.3 million refugees — targets of violent attacks in Rakhine State in Myanmar and host community members — have been largely impacted.
Many of the Rohingya people fled to Bangladesh to set up camps in the city of Cox’s Bazar. Unfortunately, the two largest camp settlements quickly overfilled, and many refugees are attempting to set up camp in the surrounding areas. There are now more than 30 unregistered Settlements.
Verse from Qur’an:
“Never will you attain the good [reward] until you spend [in the way of Allah] from that which you love. And whatever you spend – indeed, Allah is Knowing of it.”
Quran, 3:92
With the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the situation for the Rohingya refugees has only worsened.
According to the World Health Organization, a total of 981 tests have been conducted in Rohingya refugees, which have led to 57 confirmed COVID-19 cases and five deaths among the refugee population
In addition, the overcrowded camps are not the only poor conditions refugees are facing. Nearly a quarter of all Rohingya refugee children living in camps (between 6 months and 5 years old) are malnourished. There is a lack of clean water and food, and the pandemic is not making the conditions any easier for families, women, and children.
There is also growing concern about the monsoon season that takes place from June to October. In 2021, the monsoon could easily wipe out land and wreak havoc on many — if not all — camps around Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh.
Muslim Aid USA is raising funds to construct 120 to 200 transitional shelters and NFIs for the Rohingya families living in refugee camps, as well as for host families in Ukhiya, an Upazila of Cox’s Bazar district. This will allow for 120 Rohingya Refugee families to receive transitional shelters and NFIs as their accommodation in the camp setup. Additionally, refugees will become more aware about the protection and safety management issues to improve their daily lives.
This project will ensure protection and comfortable living for 120 Rohingya families in the camp. It will also encourage Rohingya families to build resilience and community engagement to improve living conditions.
This six-month project will help build 120 shelters, costing approximately $1,500, and will assist over 700 families.
FACTS:
In 2017, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees described the Rohingya refugee crisis as “the most urgent refugee emergency in the world.” Little has changed, and here is what you need to know.
- About 860,000 Rohingya live in the world’s largest and most densely populated refugee camp in southern Bangladesh.
- About 1.3 million people — both refugees and local community members — need humanitarian assistance.
- From April to November, heavy monsoon rains make life more perilous for refugees in the overcrowded camps.
- The Myanmar and Bangladesh governments continue to negotiate terms for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. In the meantime, children in the camps need access to formal education, and parents deserve the right to earn a living to support their families.
Jabir reported that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
“Avoid doing injustice to others, for on the Day of Judgment, it will turn into manifold darkness, and safeguard yourself against miserliness, for it ruined those who were before you. It incited them to murder and treating the unlawful as lawful.”
(Muslim)
