"What gets you through the day?“, we asked 10 refugees in the camps in Bangladesh. All of them fled from violence and unimaginable hardship in Myanmar. Within minutes, they had to leave everything behind. Six months later, this is what they say:
“We had to leave all of our cooking pots behind. I received this one from CARE but have not used it yet. I have kept it in box because I don’t want it to get dirty. It is my favorite item. Once we get a real gas stove, I will start using it,” says Rohima (40).
“We didn’t think we would get this much assistance here, we just wanted to save our lives. Everyone was killed, I can’t explain it. They tortured us, took little children, broke all the walls in our homes and burnt our villages. After everything I witnessed I can finally find peace at the women center. Meeting other women gives me hope,” says Nur-e-jannat (35).
“When we fled about four months ago, we couldn’t take anything with us. They burnt our house and everything that was in it. I really needed a bucket to go and fetch water in the afternoons. Now we can store water in the bucket and use it whenever we need it,” says Shahjahan (18).
“I urgently needed soap and detergent to wash clothes when we came to the Bangladesh. I have three children to look after and together we are a family of six people. So we run out of laundry detergent quickly but regularly receive it from CARE,” says Jubaida (25).
“We used to climb up the hills and it was very difficult, especially in the rain. Children used to fall down but now they can use the railing. Now it is much better with the stairs CARE built in our camp,” says Mohammed (50).
“One night I had to go to the toilet but there was no light outside and the toilet was far away. I fell down and hurt my hips because I couldn’t see anything. But now CARE built a new toilet very close to my tent and I can more easily go,” says Modina (60).
“Through CARE I learned how to upgrade our home. This is very important because the rainy season is just ahead of us. We are eight people and I need to make sure we are safe. I am now building a path to the toilet,” says Shiaul (21).
“I’m nine months pregnant. In Myanmar I was not able to see a doctor because the next hospital was too far away from our village. But here in Bangladesh I can go. I just saw a doctor because I had fever. That would not have been possible without the help I receive here,” says Asmida (18).
“It is quite boring in the camp but I do my make-up every day. I like the different colors. My mum wants me to go to school but I want to learn how to sew,” says Rubina (12).
“I run my own shop together with my brother. We make about 200-300 Taka (US$3) per day and give it to our parents and also take home the food that is left behind. I used to go to school in Myanmar and I miss it. I miss home and I want to go back soon,” says Robinul (13).
For more of our work in Bangladesh, click here.