Rohingya Refugees: Aid Cuts Impact Vulnerable
- Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh - Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are facing increasingly desperate circumstances, as significant cuts in foreign aid compound existing vulnerabilities.The nearly one million refugees, many of...
- Jahid Alam, 53, once a farmer in Myanmar, now lives in a makeshift bamboo hut in the Kutupalong refugee camp.
- Jahena Begum, whose three children have visual and cognitive disabilities, also worries about the future.
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face dire conditions as aid cuts severely impact their lives. Nearly one million Rohingya, who fled violence in Myanmar, now struggle with reduced access to food, healthcare, and essential services. Landmine victims like Anowar Shah and Abdul Hashim are battling physical and emotional scars, highlighting the ongoing humanitarian crisis. With only 15% of the required funding secured, aid workers are forced to make difficult choices. Explore how dwindling resources affect these vulnerable people. This critical situation demands increased international attention. News Directory 3 highlights the urgency of the situation. Discover what’s next …
Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh Face Dire Conditions Amid Aid Cuts
Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are facing increasingly desperate circumstances, as significant cuts in foreign aid compound existing vulnerabilities.The nearly one million refugees, many of whom fled violence in Myanmar, now grapple with limited access to food, healthcare, and essential services.
Jahid Alam, 53, once a farmer in Myanmar, now lives in a makeshift bamboo hut in the Kutupalong refugee camp. He recounted how a mysterious swelling in his leg in 2016 eventually made it impossible for him to work. After fleeing Myanmar’s military in 2017, he sought treatment from Doctors Without Borders (MSF), but faces the likelihood of amputation. Alam also endures stigma due to his disability. “They call me ‘langhra’ (lame) when they see I can’t walk properly,” he said.
Jahena Begum, whose three children have visual and cognitive disabilities, also worries about the future. Her daughter,Sumaiya Akter,23,and sons,Harez,19,and Ayas,21,are largely non-verbal and unaware of thier surroundings. Begum’s family arrived in Cox’s Bazar nine months ago after their house was burned down. “The word ‘Amma’ (mother) gives me hope and strength to continue trying to treat them,” Begum said.
Anowar Shah, 25, lost his leg to a landmine while collecting firewood in Myanmar. He is one of more than 30 refugees in the camps who have lost limbs in landmine explosions. “Losing my leg shattered everything,” Shah said. “The pain isn’t just physical – it’s emotional.”
Myanmar is among the world’s deadliest countries for landmine casualties. John Quinley, director of Fortify Rights, said all parties to the conflict in Myanmar have used landmines.
abdul Hashim, 25, another landmine victim, said stepping on a landmine in February 2024 “drastically altered his life.” He is now in a rehabilitation program at the Turkish Field Hospital and hopes to recieve a prosthetic limb, which costs about $412.
Humanity & inclusion,an aid group,has distributed and fitted 14 prosthetic limbs for camp inhabitants. Both Hashim and Shah are part of the organization’s rehabilitation program.
Aid workers are struggling to provide essential services due to funding shortages. A Bangladeshi healthcare worker, speaking anonymously, said they are having to choose “between feeding people and providing education and healthcare.”
Quinley emphasized that the Rohingya refugee response should be a collective regional obligation. He urged countries in southeast Asia and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to provide more support and recommended working with local humanitarian partners.
According to a Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya, only 15% of the $934.5 million needed for the refugees has been funded as of May 2025.
Blandine Bouniol, deputy director of advocacy at Humanity & inclusion, warned that cutting aid budgets is a “short-sighted policy” that will “have a devastating impact on people.” The Rohingya crisis requires sustained international attention and support to address the urgent needs of this vulnerable population.