Torrential rain in Bangladesh: more than 9,000 Rohingya refugees affected

Urgent needs

HI launched an emergency response in August 2017 to assist hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar. Since June 2018, these already vulnerable people have had to face torrential rain. Floods and landslides make it difficult for HI’s teams to reach the most vulnerable people and to deliver humanitarian supplies.

“Nine thousand refugees are affected by the floods and have been urgently relocated to other areas of the camp. This situation weakens many vulnerable people who live in very precarious conditions and are particularly exposed to the risk of natural disasters (cyclones). There’s also a threat of cholera epidemics. Those affected urgently need a weather-resistant shelter, and access to water, food and health care," explained Jean-Loup Gouot, director of HI in Bangladesh.

HI is continuing its emergency response. “We provide rehabilitation care and psychological support to the most vulnerable and help deliver humanitarian aid to refugees. Currently, due to bad weather, we only have access to 70% of our response areas. We are looking into alternative ways[1] to access the most vulnerable people and to give them the support they need," adds Jean-Loup Gouot.

Our projects in aid of Rohingya refugees 

HI has been conducting an emergency response since August 2017 and has assisted more than 24,000 Rohingya refugees in the Kutupalong, Balukhali, Unchipranget and Nayapara camps.

• HI has deployed 10 mobile teams[2] who travel to the camps to identify the most vulnerable people and offer them rehabilitation care, psychological support and recreational activities:
  • HI has provided rehabilitation care in homes and hospitals in Cox’s Bazar to more than 8,000 people and has also supplied more than 1,000 mobility aids (crutches, wheelchairs, walking frames, and so on) to people in need.
  • More than 8,500 people received individual or group psychological support.
• HI has set up two storage areas (in Unchiprang and Dhumdumia) to store the equipment of humanitarian organisations, and set up a fleet of 346 lorries carrying over 6,300 cubic metres of humanitarian equipment (hygiene kits, mobility aids, etc.).
• More than 4,000 people have been given hygiene kits, more than 24,000 beneficiaries have received 5,000 food rations and more than 900 accommodation kits have been distributed.