Oxfam to help over 200,000 Rohingya in Bangladesh

September 15th, 2017

Oxfam is now providing clean water, sanitation and tarpaulins for shelter to Rohingya people who have fled to Bangladesh.

Nearly 370,000 people crossed into Bangladesh in the last four weeks, doubling the number of people seeking refuge in the south east of the country.

The existing camps in Bangladesh are ill-equipped to handle the huge numbers of people. People need shelter, clean water, toilets and food urgently. Women, children, older people and those with disabilities are especially vulnerable. Oxfam’s initially plans to help 200,000 people.

M B Akhter, Interim Country Director, Oxfam in Bangladesh, said: “People face a desperate situation. They have no clean drinking water and no food. They are homeless and hungry following a long and treacherous journey across the border. Many are now sleeping under open skies, by roadsides and in forests, with no protection.

“People are physically and emotionally traumatized.”

Notes to editors

Bangladesh has hosted 400,000 Rohingyas since the 1990s. The continuing influx has doubled the number of refugees in the South-Eastern Districts of Cox's Bazar and Bandarban districts.

ENDS

To arrange interview call, Daniel English, Oxfam Ireland, 086 3544954