Source: ChildFund New Zealand
Disaster has become a cycle that children living in the world’s largest refugee camps cannot escape,” says ChildFund CEO Josie Pagani.
Just weeks after a devastating fire destroyed vital food-growing gardens in Cox’s Bazar, deadly monsoon rains have hit.
Nine people are dead, including one child killed in a landslide. More are injured, nearly 400 have been forced from their homes, and almost 800 shelters are damaged or destroyed.
“Heavy rain is not just bad weather for these children. It can mean landslides, destroyed make-shift homes, disrupted learning, and serious risks to safety.”
Two hundred and fifty millimeters of rain fell in a single day.
“An already vulnerable population will struggle to cope without support.
Ten years ago they had to flee violence in Myanmar, leaving their country and their homes behind. Now they face flooded shelters, damaged facilities, and the threat of more rain.
Children need safe places to learn, recover and be protected. Learning Centres, Early Childhood Education Centres, Women and Girls Safe Spaces – the very facilities set up to give these children some stability are among those now flooded.”
Heavy rainfall means the risk of landslides and flash flooding remains high, and forecasters are warning there is more to come. The priority is to keep children away from hazardous areas, support families who have been displaced, and protect essential services.
“Our partners on the ground have activated emergency response teams. But the scale of what’s needed will only grow if this rain continues.”
ChildFund New Zealand has a long-standing emergency appeal supporting Rohingya refugee children and families living in Cox’s Bazar, where more than 1.1 million people remain displaced.
“These children are facing crisis after crisis with nowhere else to go. They need the world to keep paying attention” says Josie Pagani.
ChildFund New Zealand’s Child Refugee Crisis Appeal remains open to those who wish to support children and communities facing ongoing displacement and repeated disasters.