World Refugee Day: "You can't feel me, but I'm there."

To mark World Refugee Day, Faryal and a group of friends from Houston, Texas, designed cards expressing their solidarity and support for Rohingya children from Myanmar living as refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

Faryal and her friends are members of families who have supported Community Partners International (CPI)’s Rohingya Refugee Response since the beginning of the refugee crisis in August 2017. “After hearing what they were going through, we decided to make cards for them to make sure they know to stay brave and courageous and not give up,” Faryal explains.

Faryal empathizes with the plight of Rohingya children. “It is hard to lose your home, the place you grew up in, so suddenly and harshly. I hope and wish that all refugee children have safe, good homes and can get a proper education.”Ifra Hafeez, 14, also sent a card. “Reaching out to the Rohingya children felt right because they are children like us. These children deserve to know that they have others beside them.”

“I hope that our cards inspire them to stay strong and that they take comfort in knowing they are not alone. My hope and wish for all refugee children are that they will live happily and achieve their dreams. I hope that in the future, there will be no need for refugee camps and that everyone will be able to live in peace.”

Representatives from Community Partners International handed out the cards to Rohingya children in the refugee camps. These representatives also translated the messages into the Rohingya language so that the children could understand them.
With support from the Muslim community in Houston and many other generous donors, Community Partners International has been on the ground providing humanitarian assistance in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, since the crisis began in August 2017, when more than 700,000 Rohingya fled violence in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar.

At present, Community Partners International is helping to safeguard Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi host communities and save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization is supporting a network of Rohingya Community Health Volunteers who provide the first line of health care to their communities. These volunteers are helping to raise awareness about COVID-19, support prevention and response efforts, and share information with fellow refugees on where and how to seek treatment if they become sick.

Community Partners International is also supporting a network of Rohingya Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Volunteers who are helping to construct, repair, and maintain hand-washing stations, latrines, tube wells, and other WASH facilities. The organization is installing 150 hand-washing stations at camp entrances and communal areas to support COVID-19 prevention.

In Cox’s Bazar, Community Partners International is partnering with several international aid organizations to construct, staff, and equip a 52-bed COVID-19 isolation and treatment facility that will serve both Bangladeshi host communities and Rohingya refugees.