The Times Christmas Appeal

Children on the Edge was selected by The Times as one of three charities they have raised money for over the Christmas period. The appeal has focussed particularly on our work with Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh,
covering our low profile refugee schools and our humanitarian assistance for new arrivals.

We'd like to express our huge thanks to The Times and Charities Trust for their support of this work.

Times Appeal stories:

'Rohingya boy fled for life after watching soldiers kill parents’

Young survivors of ‘textbook ethnic cleansing’ are mired in stateless misery.

Leading article - 'Burma’s Shame'

Children on the Edge is a charity giving succour to Rohingya refugees fleeing terrible ethnic cleansing. It deserves our urgent support.

'In pictures: the plight of Burma’s Rohingya'

Photo collection by Jack Hill, who travelled to Bangladesh with Catherine Philp, The Times’ Diplomatic Correspondent, to report on the work of Children on the Edge with the Rohingya.

'Rohingya refugees: ‘They ripped my baby girl from my arms'

Their families were murdered, their village destroyed: two survivors tell their story to Catherine Philp.

'Rohingya in crisis in Kutupalong,
the world’s biggest refugee camp'

Kutupalong, a sprawling metropolis of bamboo and tarpaulin has gone, in three months, from a little-known settlement to the world’s largest refugee camp.

'Savagery etched into
children’s minds'

More than 60 per cent of the refugees in Bangladesh are children. Early intervention is crucial, but so is consistent, lasting support.

'Rohingya raped and branded by Burmese forces'

Shining a light on the horrific campaign of systematic rape against Rohingya women by the Burmese army.

'Secret schools give Rohingya children a vital lesson in hope'

Providing low-profile education for Rohingya children in the makeshift Kutupalong camp.

'Children’s first steps to recovery
after horrors of ethnic cleansing'

Children on the Edge International Director, Rachel Bentley talks about the charity's approach, their history and why they always go to the edge.

'The Rohingya crisis in the words of refugees'

As part of The Times Christmas appeal, Catherine Philp speaks to refugees fleeing Burma and finds that each has their own terrifying story.

'The Times abroad'

A collection of photos from Jack Hill, covering the plight of the Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma.

'Charity workers dig wells of hope for the Rohingya'

How Children on the Edge are addressing the challenges of providing water and sanitation in the camps.

Leading article - 'In Desperate Need'

Children on the Edge is a charity committed to the long-term rehabilitation of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. It deserves our support this Christmas.

'West must turn the screw on Burma’s junta'

Richard Lloyd Parry outlines how an international arms embargo against the generals responsible for the Rohingya crisis should be top priority.

'Desperate Rohingya refugees are recruited as drug mules by cartels'

Rohingya refugees are being recruited as mules to smuggle methamphetamine across the border with Bangladesh.

Children on the Edge - Rohingya humanitarian response:

WHY ARE WE SUPPORTING THE ROHINGYA?

Over 650,000 Rohingya have crossed the border from Myanmar to Bangladesh since the 25th August, fleeing a brutal military crackdown from the Myanmar army.

Despite decades of attacks and persecution, this is the largest wave of violence against the Rohingya to date and has been described by the UN as a ‘textbook example of ethnic cleansing’.

Around 60% of those refugees arriving in Bangladesh are women and children, subject to appalling conditions in the overrun camps along the border and at risk of hunger, trafficking and disease.

Children on the Edge have been providing education to some of the most forgotten Rohingya refugee children in one of these camps for the last seven years. This makes us well positioned to provide humanitarian support, through local partners, to those whose needs are the greatest.

WHAT ARE WE DOING TO HELP AND WHERE WILL YOUR MONEY GO?

Our initial response has provided over 5,800 families with:

Clean water and sanitation through the installation of 34 tube wells and 200 latrines
Food parcels containing lentils, oil, sugar, salt and rehydration sachets, complementing general provision of rice.
Solar lighting for safety, security and the continuation of activity after dark. We are also utilising the schools to ‘double up’ as safe spaces for newly arrived Rohingya children, with current Rohingya teachers who are already fully trained to work with traumatised children.

We are now in the process of establishing 150 semi permanent classrooms in the camp, basing the model on the Learning Centres we support for working children in Cox’s Bazar.

WHAT ABOUT THE LONG TERM?

Everything we are providing now will continue long after the flurry of attention subsides. Our low profile camp schools, current humanitarian response and longer term education plans all focus on:

Supporting the most forgotten and hard to reach children
Providing high quality work that adapts to an evolving situation
Working with local partners and the refugee community
Building for the long term – this means focusing on quality teaching rather than bricks and mortar, low-profile, community empowerment rather than banners and logos and ensuring our humanitarian response is well-researched to avoid pitfalls and meet real needs in the best possible way.

WHO ARE CHILDREN ON THE EDGE?

Children on the Edge exists to help forgotten children who are living on the edge of their societies around the world. We focus on children who have been overlooked by governments, larger organisations and the international community.

In partnership with local communities, we work to restore the ingredients of a full childhood. We do this through the creation of safe, child friendly environments that generate hope, life, colour and fun.