Image: Kolima (left) holds her young son in the family’s shelter in Kutupalong Refugee Camp, Bangladesh. (Md. Dipu/CPI)
Over the past two years, more than 150,000 Rohingya refugees have fled escalating violence in Myanmar and sought safety in Bangladesh, adding to the already vast population of Kutupalong, the world’s largest refugee camp. As international funding declines, this steady influx has placed increasing strain on resources, making access to essential services more uncertain for families arriving with little more than their lives. Among them is Kolima, who is pregnant with her second child and relies on health services supported by Community Partners International (CPI).
Before conflict reached their village in Rakhine State, Myanmar, Kolima remembers her life. “We had a normal life. We worked every day and had our own place to live.”
As fighting drew nearer, Kolima saw her community unravel. “Everything was being destroyed; I saw people getting injured and shot… Then, they burned down our house, so we had to leave.”
Leaving meant abandoning generations of stability. “We had lived in Myanmar our whole life. Our parents are still there. My child was born there. I left behind all those memories. My home, my village, my country, my relatives, and all our livestock. We had to leave everything behind.”
Kolima, her husband, and two-year-old son made their way to the Naf River in fear, carrying just some dried food and water. “We made the journey… wondering what if someone sees us, what if someone targets us.”
They boarded a boat crowded with 50 others and spent a full day and night on the river. During the crossing, their son fell ill. “His getting sick made me more afraid. I started crying and asking for help. Luckily, someone had medicine, and by the time we reached Bangladesh, he had recovered.”
After several days in transit facilities, they were assigned a shelter in Camp 1W of Kutupalong Refugee Camp, where CPI provides health services through a network of community health workers (CHWs) and a health post.
“I was happy that we made it here alive… But I felt sad about everything we lost. It made me afraid of what was to come.”
Feeling unwell one morning, Kolima called over Umme, a CPI-supported CHW who was making routine neighborhood visits.
“She told me to get checked at the health post.”
There, Kolima learned she was pregnant. “At first, I was very happy. I was going to be a mother again. But then the reality hit me, and I realized that I have no parents or other relatives here. How will I manage? If I need blood during delivery, where will I get it? If I get sick, who will take care of me? All these things made me worry.”
Since that first visit, Umme has continued to stop by regularly. “She has helped me a lot. She checks on me every day to see if I am doing okay. Every week she takes me to the health post for checkups. She advises me on what to do and what not to do during pregnancy.”
The clinic provides vitamins, calcium, and other medicines she needs. Her son, who had never been vaccinated in Myanmar, has now received his immunizations.
The care feels reassuring. “I am happy to receive these services, and that my child is protected against different diseases. It is good that we don’t have to worry about medicines and services.”
Her first pregnancy in Myanmar had been costly and lonely. “If you have money, you get health care, but if you can’t pay, they won’t treat you. I had to travel very far to the hospital.”
Accessing care now is more reliable, and she feels safer because of it.
Even with support, daily life in the camp remains demanding. “It is difficult to cope with pregnancy in the camp. I have to go far to fetch water or use the toilet. It gets very dark at night, so I am afraid when walking to the toilet.”
“My husband usually does the heavy work for me, but sometimes he can’t go, so I have to do it. The paths in camp are very steep, and many are broken. When I go to the health post, I have to take a longer route to avoid walking on broken paths or up steep hills.”
Following advice from the CHW, she plans to give birth in a health facility. “It will be better to give birth there because it’s risky at home. If I am in need of blood, I can’t get it at home.”
Kolima worries about the future. “Here in Bangladesh, there is nothing I can say is mine… So it makes me afraid about the future. How will I raise my children here? How will I ensure their education? I have no idea.”
Space in the shelter is tight, and she wonders how she will manage with two young children. But the help she receives gives her comfort. “It makes me happy that I am not alone, that my family is not alone.”
Kolima shares sincere gratitude for the support available to her. “I am very grateful to the people who make it happen. I pray that they have the health and safety they have given to us.”
With your support, Community Partners International provides essential health care, safe water, hygiene, and sanitation services to Rohingya refugees in Kutupalong Refugee Camp, Bangladesh.
Donate today to help displaced Rohingya families like Kolima’s.
Δ
Thank you for subscribing! We will update you on impacts and milestones as we empower vulnerable communities in Asia to meet their essential health, humanitarian, and sustainable development needs.
