Ma Phyu Ma, an internally displaced Rohingya woman, lost her home during Cyclone Mocha
© UNHCR/Reuben Lim Wende

Rohingya Emergency

Send life-saving aid to Rohingya refugees who are hanging on by a thread. 

Cyclone Remal struck Bangladesh on 26-27 May, bringing torrential rain and heavy winds.

Storms devastated over 600 refugees' homes in Cox's Bazar. Latrines and other hygiene facilities have also been destroyed, leaving families at high risk of waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera.

UNHCR and its partners are providing shelter and protection. But more help is urgently needed.

After fleeing violence in Myanmar, almost one million Rohingya refugees are living in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh. Families are sheltering in flimsy homes made of bamboo and tarpaulin, providing little protection from the elements. Food rations have been cut, leaving refugees with just $12 per month to spend on food – or 40 cents per day.

Long-term prospects are grim. Children are unable to get a formal education in Bangladesh, while their parents don’t have work rights. Though many wish to return home, it’s still unsafe to do so.

Please send help to Rohingya refugees now.

Shelter repairs

Your gift can provide disaster kits with sleeping mats, tarpaulins and aqua tabs.

Health and nutrition

Your gift can provide malnutrition screening and therapeutic food for vulnerable children.

Livelihoods

Your gift can provide skills training to help refugees earn an income in Cox's Bazar.

About Rohingya Emergency

Who are the Rohingya?

The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority in Myanmar. Over a million Rohingya refugees have fled violence in successive waves of displacement since the early 1990s. The latest exodus began on 25 August 2017, when violence broke out in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, driving more than 723,000 to seek refuge in Bangladesh. The vast majority reaching Bangladesh are women and children. Many others are elderly people, requiring additional aid and protection.

Where do Rohingya refugees flee to?

Most families cross the border into Bangladesh and end up in the refugee settlements of Kutupalong and Nayapara in the Cox’s Bazar district. 

What are conditions like in the camps?

The camps are vast, overcrowded and basic. Cox's Bazar is the largest camp of its kind in the world, with more than 900,000 people living in just 13 square kilometres. Infrastructure and services are stretched to the limit, with many families lacking adequate shelter, clean water and proper sanitation.

How is UNHCR helping?

UNHCR teams are hard at work in all the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar – providing life-saving essentials to families. We also support education and healthcare initiatives, such as immunisation programs to protect against disease. UNHCR also helps refugees fortify their shelters and prepare for the monsoon season.

Our fundraising impact

The majority of funds raised by Aotearoa New Zealand for UNHCR are directed to UNHCR’s emergency operations, providing the ready funds and resources to respond quickly and effectively in situations of crisis and disaster.

76%
Humanitarian programs
6%
Admin
18%
Fundraising