July Monthly Highlights from Children on the Edge

4 mins read time

July started with a bang with the launch of our newest virtual challenge - Summer Steps for Refugees - and the highlights didn’t stop there. We were thrilled to find out that our digital education programme had won an iFDesign Award and we were able to hear for the first time from some of the Rohingya refugees who have been relocated to the remote Bhasan Char Island. ​Read on to catch up with some of our news from this month. 

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SEEING LIFE ON BHASAN CHAR ISLAND
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Thousands of Rohingya refugee families have been relocated from the world's largest refugee camp, Kutupalong, to Bhasan Char, a 15 square-mile silt island in the Bay of Bengal. Access to the remote island is limited, but for the very first time, we’ve been able to interview some of the children and families that we work with.

​Watch our video to hear their thoughts and find out what life is like for refugees living on Bhasan Char.

Click the button below to find out more about the situation on Bhasan Char, and how our education programme is helping Rohingya communities on the island. 

Life on the Edge in Bhasan Char

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iFDESIGN AWARD WINNERS

​We were delighted to find out at the start of July that our Digital Education programme for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh had won an iF Design Social Impact Prize. 

Our innovative approach to education in Bangladesh breaks down language barriers and allows Rohingya refugee children to access meaningful education through exciting video lessons.

Amidst hundreds of entries from other organisations, this work has been recognised as one that ‘contributes to improving society’ in the area of education.

Find out more

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SUMMER STEPS FOR REFUGEES
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Our Summer Steps for Refugees virtual challenge kicked off, with over 100 people signing up to walk 10,000 steps every single day during July. Together they walked millions of steps and raised more than £2,265.Take a look at our video to see what they got up to throughout the month.

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INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FRIENDSHIP
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On International Day of Friendship we spoke to some of the children we work with to find out about the friends they have made in the classrooms we support around the world.

Seidra (pictured wearing a black headscarf) loves everything about school, she loves learning and looks forward to coming to school every day. She says that she loves the friends she has made at school and they love her too.

Starting school was a dream for Shahida, she said that on her first day she was overwhelmed with happiness and couldn't wait to get to know her new classmates. She told us, “There is nothing more fun than sports and studies! All my classmates love me very much and my teacher loves to be with us all the time. Love and respect are awakened by education which helps to make people human beings.”

4-year-old Namusisi Bevu loves playing with all of the new friends she has made at school, but also says that at home, her mum is her best friend.

​Five-year-old Kawn Ja Htoi Tsin, attends one of the preschools we support in Kachin State Myanmar. When she first started attending classes she was unsure and didn't like joining in with other children but the teachers helped her to settle in and now she is cheerful and loves school. She said: “I want to go to school. I like to sing songs and dance with my friends. I have snacks!"