Education for Rohingya refugee children

THE EDGE IN KUTUPALONG

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugee children are cut off from education in the border camps of Bangladesh.

Despite decades of persecution and displacement from Myanmar, the Rohingya have had relatively little attention from the international community. In August 2017, co-ordinated military attacks against them turned the media spotlight onto their plight.

Described by the UN as ‘a textbook example of ethnic cleansing’, the brutal offensive forced 750,000 Rohingya over the border into Bangladesh. They arrived directly into the border areas where we had been working, providing education for thousands of Rohingya refugee children, for eight years.

Children make up 50% of the refugee community in Kutupalong camp and, despite a wealth of agencies investing in education, only 45% currently have access. Children have suffered profound trauma and, with little access to safe, child friendly facilities, they face serious protection risks including child marriage, trafficking and child labour.

Without adequate support, children face the prospect of growing up without an education and without the means to process the horrific events they have lived through.

MORE ABOUT THE EDGE FOR FOR ROHINGYA REFUGEES

150 classrooms in the Kutupalong camp provide community-led education in a child friendly space, for 7,500 children.

After an initial focus on humanitarian support in the wake of the crisis, we then turned our attention on ensuring consistent support for children.

Our original 45 schools in the Kutupalong area had been handed over to UNICEF, and together with our partner Mukti, we have constructed 75 Learning Centres in the camps. We are also maintaining 28 classrooms in host and enclave migrant communities.

The Centres are semi-permanent structures, to enable durability against the rains (deep concrete floors), whilst maintaining flexibility on location, should the refugee population move on elsewhere.

The programme employs and trains both Bangladeshi and Rohingya teachers. Learning Centres offer basic education, healthcare, nutritional support, and creative opportunities to 7,500 vulnerable Rohingya refugee children who otherwise will have no access to those services.

Children benefit from the daily opportunity to play, express themselves and simply enjoy being children. The Centres are unique environments in the camp, with each classroom developed as a bright, colourful haven, with vibrant ‘green spaces’ growing outside each one.

Based on our prior experience and lessons learned, we are confident that we are uniquely positioned and qualified to deliver an effective programme to meet the needs of thousands of children.