A brutal military offensive against an insurgent group in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in August 2017 forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people to flee across the border into Bangladesh. Neither the Government of Bangladesh nor the international community were prepared for the large-scale humanitarian crisis that followed. Currently, more than 680,000 Rohingya refugees, many of whom have suffered serious injuries and psychological truama, have arrived in Bangladesh's south-eastern districts of Cox's Bazar and Bandarban. 

Hoping for assistance, the refugees - arriving with barely any possessions - settled along an access road to Cox's Bazar, where the Bangladeshi government and the UN opened up camps to accomodate them. These camps have been expanded to a mega camp. But the situation of the refugees remains dire: hygiene conditions are poor. The overcrowded camps heighten the risks of deadly diseases spreading quickly, especially in the rainy season. There is little access to safe drinking water, food, shelter, healthcare, schools and more.

Malteser International is active in the refugee camps working mainly in the areas of mother and infant health, hygiene, nutrition and psychosocial support. We are providing basic medical care in two health centers that serve around 20,000 people inside the camp. We are in close contact with the health authorities in Bangladesh and are able to transfer difficult cases to nearby clinics. To prevent the spread of diseases, we also carry out trainings on good health and hygiene. In the field of nutrition, our first aim is to identify expectant or nursing mothers and children below 5 years who are suffering from malnutrition or undernourishment. Identified children and women thereupon receive supplementary nutrition. This part of our activities in the refugee camp helps us to reach about 10,800 mothers and children. As with injured or sick people, severe cases of malnutrition are referred to the nearest support center.