Independence for child refugees with disabilities

Together, we’re giving children dignity

About a million Rohingya refugees are living in refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar region, since fleeing Myanmar when conflict broke out in 2017. The camps have grown to become some of the largest, most densely populated in the world.

World Vision has been providing ongoing support to these refugees as they face daily challenges such as overcrowding, food shortage, poor sanitation and lack of education. We’re making sure that the most critical needs of refugee children and families are met.

Life is hard for anyone living in a refugee camp. But for children who have physical disabilities – and their parents who struggle to look after them – they have the added challenges of lack of mobility and difficulties accessing essential facilities.

Independence and dignity

Eight-year-old Ares and five-year-old Hares are brothers who live in the Rohingya camp with their mother, Juhara, and younger sister, Jasmin. They have physical disabilities, so can’t walk, play or move like other children.

They have lived in a small makeshift house constructed from bamboo and tarpaulin at the camp in Bangladesh since fleeing Myanmar.

When the family arrived in Bangladesh, Ares was only three years old, and Juhara was six months pregnant. Hares and Jasmin were born in the refugee camp.

After three years of living there, Juhara’s husband died and she was left to struggle alone with three children. This was particularly challenging because of the boys’ health conditions – Ares can’t speak, hold anything or walk without support, and Hares can’t walk properly because he has a club foot and sandals don’t fit him.

Taking care of Ares and Hares, especially washing and going to the toilet, was very difficult. Their mother explains: “They were afraid to use the toilet as there were no handrails to hold. So, when they needed to go, I would help them defecate in the yard and later I would clean it. It was difficult and unhealthy.” During the rainy season the situation became worse.

Life changed for the family when handrails were built from the door of their house to the toilets, to make them easier to use for the boys. The toilets are now accessible to everyone. 

Juhara is delighted: “The handrails are really benefiting my children. They can go to the toilet easily by themselves. Sometimes they play and laugh in the yard by holding the handrail. I smile, seeing their joy.”

Simple changes like this have given the boys independence and dignity and have lifted a huge burden from Juhara.

Supporting refugees

In 2017, Myanmar experienced a wave of socio-political unrest. During this time of conflict, more than 700,000 Rohingya people – half of them children – fled the country, seeking refuge in Bangladesh.

Now, about a million Rohingya refugees are living in refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar region. They have grown to become some of the largest, most densely populated camps in the world.

World Vision has been working with the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar since 2017, and during that time have been able to:

• reach over 500,000 refugees, of which almost 250,000 are children, with humanitarian assistance
• provide 96,350 people with clean water and sanitation facilities, including those with disabilities
• reach more than 255,000 people through World Vision food assistance programmes, in partnership with the World Food Programme
• give more than 6,000 children educational support
• provide 8,400 adolescents with education at 21 training centres.

In the midst of war, natural disasters, hunger and global pandemic, your ongoing support makes it possible to reach children and families with what they most need, helping them survive, recover and build a future.