Rohingya refugees fear increased hardship due to aid cuts

DW (English)

Major cuts to international aid are threatening the lives of thousands of Rohingya refugees sheltering in Bangladesh after fleeing persecution in Myanmar. With a 40% slump in donations last year, the World Food Programme fears it will be forced to slash its food rations.

Transcript

00:00It is lunchtime for Rafika's children.

00:04She gives them a fistful of puffed rice and a small packet of cookies.

00:09The family cannot afford to have a proper lunch.

00:13If aid is cut, their situation could worsen.

00:20We are already suffering.

00:22Reducing the rations now will cause us more suffering in the future.

00:27My children and I are also sick now.

00:29We will have to survive in the future.

00:31We will not be able to eat fish, meat or fruits.

00:34If the rations are cut in half, how will we survive in the future?

00:41She and her family have lived in a two-room shelter in this camp in Bangladesh for over eight years.

00:49Food vouchers help refugee families get eggs, chicken, rice, some vegetables and other staples.

00:56But the World Food Programme warns it may have to slash aid, leaving Rafika's family with barely enough for the month.

01:10Rafika's husband, Mohamed Alam, says the family does not want to live on these handouts.

01:16I had land in Arkan.

01:22I used to farm on the land.

01:25I also had a shop.

01:27I was always able to buy food from the market.

01:30I used to get rice and oil from the cultivated land.

01:33There was no shortage of fish and vegetables.

01:39We eat a small amount of dal for dinner.

01:42We eat them and drink water.

01:45We don't have money to buy food.

01:47We can't sell anything.

01:50We can't go outside to work.

01:52We're not allowed to.

01:53The consequences have already been devastating.

02:01Thousands of children are suffering from malnutrition.

02:05Doctors at this children's clinic worry about what will happen when people have even less to eat.

02:11They may suffer from the birth.

02:16They may be a low birth weight baby.

02:19And during infancy, they will suffer from malnutrition and some other diseases.

02:24And they will develop with very low IQ and some nutritional disorder.

02:31But it's not only health that is a concern.

02:34The local representative of the Rohingya people told DW that when a funding shortfall slashed the monthly food allowance in 2023, crime soared.

02:46If the ration is reduced, crime will increase.

02:51Crimes like theft, robbery, drug dealing, heroin dealing.

02:57When food is cut, we cannot keep our children safe in their homes.

03:01The criminals kidnap and hold children captive, and they demand a ransom.

03:09The World Food Programme says that funding remains insecure, and it is renewing its appeal to the donor community for support.

03:19Families like Rafika's, who remain entirely at the mercy of humanitarian aid, feel trapped.

03:27We're very grateful that the government is keeping us well in the camp.

03:31But we don't want to stay here anymore.

03:34We don't want to go to other countries either.

03:36Let us be sent back to our country in a proper manner.

03:44But with the conflict in neighboring Myanmar still ongoing,

03:48it's unlikely these Rohingya refugees will be able to leave Bangladesh soon.

03:54Happy John says that you did another country in this country.

03:55Happy Jane.

04:15Thank you very much for being here.

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