Support Rohingya refugee women

Thank you for your support of this project. I'm writing to share some updates on ActionAid's work in Cox's Bazar.

As of 2025, the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp remains home to over 1 million Rohingya refugees, including approximately 500,000 children. The humanitarian situation has deteriorated significantly this year due to new arrivals—approximately 100,000 refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar—and the growing impacts of chronic underfunding over the years. Despite overwhelming needs and security challenges in the camps, ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB) continues to deliver critical, lifesaving assistance.

Humanitarian Context: Food insecurity is at crisis levels, compounded by ration cuts and malnutrition rates have risen, with over 15% of children affected—the highest since 2017 Additionally, over 40,000 pregnant women and 19,000 malnourished children risk losing access to healthcare amid a surge in dengue cases (3,745 reported).Approximately 100,000 school-aged children remain out of school and WASH services and diasbility support remain severely inadequate (roughly 12% of refugees living with disabilities).

Key Response Activities Ongoing in 2025

Community-Based Protection:

o  Facilitating community outreach and engagement through Community Outreach Members (COMs).

o  Sports for Protection, capacity-building sessions, and leadership initiatives.

o  Targeting 333,266 Rohingya individuals across multiple camps.

GBV Prevention and Response:

o  Comprehensive GBV case management, psychological first aid, and referral services.

o  Training GBV service providers and integrating GBV interventions into emergency plans.

o  Coverage: 124,000 individuals.

Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM):

o  Strengthened accountability, capacity building, and service monitoring.

o  Enhancing emergency preparedness, community resilience, and infrastructure maintenance.

o  Coverage: 101,044 individuals in selected camps.

Nurturing Youth Volunteers:

o  Engaging 5,000 youths aged 15-24 in life skills, literacy training, mentorship, and emergency response.

o  Promoting community resilience and social cohesion.

Green Skills Development:

o  Climate-smart agriculture and homestead gardening, targeting 10,000 individuals.

o  Emphasizing gender and disability-inclusive practices and market linkage.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH):

o  Infrastructure development (deep tube wells, latrines), hygiene promotion, and MHM support.

o  Serving 30,000 in camps and 1,000 in host communities.

Women Empowerment:

o  Promoting financial independence through livelihood skills training and essential services.

o  Targeting economic empowerment, leadership, and psychosocial support for 305,000 individuals.

Health and Gender Support:

o  Operational One-Stop Crisis Centers and Cells providing GBV and SRHR services.

o  Ongoing community awareness and integrated PSS and livelihood activities.

Natural Resource Management:

o  Enhancing food security and nutritional status through community-led environmental initiatives, targeting 1,600 households.

 Key Priorities:

• Urgent need for funding to prevent drastic cuts in food assistance, risking a reduction in monthly rations by half (from USD 12.50 to USD 6 per refugee).
• Essential financial support is required for protection programs, healthcare, nutrition, education, shelter, and disaster management.
• Enhanced investments are needed in host community infrastructure and services to mitigate socio-economic pressures caused by hosting refugees.

We appreicaite your generous and continued support of these efforts. Amid rising displacement and funding shortfalls, AAB remains committed to delivering urgent, rights-based humanitarian services in Cox’s Bazar for as long as it is needed. Growing support, especially in health, nutrition, and education, is critical to sustaining lives and dignity for Rohingya refugees in 2025.

Thank you.