A rohingya refugee

Who are Rohingya Refugees? Part 2

No one wants them.

Squalid, hastily constructed camps near Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh are the only places they can find refuge, the only places they can call home. But these camps are anything but safe and look nothing like home. No words can convey the magnitude of the Rohingya refugee crisis. Every person who crosses the border has their own horrific tale of loss.

Their stories deserve to be told.

A Mother’s Nightmare

Unia was a proud mother of four beautiful children. But today, she’s only a mother of two. The night her small village in Myanmar was attacked, Unia attempted to flee with her husband, Zuwail, and children.  But two of her little ones, only 7 and 10, weren’t fast enough.

“While on the run, we lost two of our children because everything went so fast and everyone was so scared. When we heard that our children got murdered, we had to leave them behind because they were still coming after us. We wanted to go back, but we couldn’t – we still had two other children to take care of. We cried and cried and cried…”

Rohingya refugee woman with her family
Unia, Zuwail, and her two surviving children

After running for their lives, Unia walked with Zuwail and her son Kafia, 16, carrying her 20 month-old baby. Four days they walked without stopping until they reached the river Naf.

Mercifully, a boat captain took pity on them and did not charge for the three-hour journey across the river.

During their crossing, a boat almost identical to Unia’s sank – of which there were no survivors.

Upon reaching Bangladesh, thoroughly traumatized and collapsing from exhaustion, Unia and Zuwail were forced to beg for a few, meager scoops of rice – the first they’d had since fleeing.

A rohingya refugee and her family in Bangladesh
Unia’s family sets up a makeshift shelter in Bangladesh

Unia and her family lived without shelter in a camp for displaced persons for over 15 days. All their worldly possessions amounted to two pots, a water bottle, a tarp, and a blanket. For a family of four, it was not enough.

Unia cried, “I want to go back home.”

But they cannot go back.

Find out how World Concern is responding in practical ways as the Rohingya refugee crisis continues to grow.