Volunteers’ Diary

Fahima Begum

One year ago, security forces swept through Myanmar killing, raping and torturing thousands of Rohingya people. They burned down homes, shops and mosques, and forced more than 1 million people to flee across the border to Bangladesh. These are crimes against humanity. 

The Myanmar Government say that Rohingya people are not Burmese citizens – but the Rohingya have been living in Myanmar for generations. Today, they are people with no home or citizenship. Even their name (the very word ‘Rohingya‘) is denied them in Myanmar. 

They are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. 

I decided to take the journey with Global One charity organisation to go and see for myself and help with your kind donations to give some dignity and humanity back to the Rohingya people. 

Please take a look at my pictures and videos and continue to support me in my quest for humanity. 

Box for life 

After being sick on day two I decided I was well enough to take the trip out to the camps on day three. 

This was a very tough and emotional day. 

We started with the distribution of the box for life. They had basic mother and baby essentials in them including a mosquito net, reusable nappies, baby garments , bottle feeder etc. Only a small number of women were selected for this particular distribution. As I recall I think they cost £50 each to make up. The basket with the items in them turned in to Moses baskets. 

This was the moment I couldn’t hold back the tears. Seeing these women with their new born babies waiting to receive the boxes really made me feel so helpless. It felt like I should be able to do more than I was doing at the time, handing out a small number of boxes.
Never the less we handed them out and the women’s faces lit up. Regardless of their situation, they were full of smiles. 

There were many women and babies outside who didn’t receive any in this distribution. They asked me “what did I do wrong. Why didn’t I get one”. I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say but welled up again. I then paused and said we will come back with more. Inshallah God willing. This has now made me feel like I have to keep my promise and go back with more. I wish I captured the details of that woman so I could personally deliver one to her when I eventually go back. 

We helped the women carry their boxes out to their husbands outside and the ones with no husbands we helped them to their homes. 

I think this experience is going to stay with me for a long time. I can’t get over it. Can you imagine the trauma and ordeal they have been through? How does that leave one’s system? Being raped in front of their children? Seeing their family male members burnt alive? Seeing all the men lined up and shot dead? This is pure evil and genuine crimes against humanity. 

Kids zone and fun 

The second part of day three involved some basic children’s activities. Things we take for granted. Our kids do this at school or at home. The basic things that our kids had 30 years ago. These days it’s all about iPads and fancy gadgets and toys. 

We selected 50 children to take part in fun. We did this in the room we decorated on our first day. 

Five of us volunteers had ten kids each. We started with face painting. Omg I’m useless at art but I think once I got going I nailed it. I painted stars, flowers, boats, patterns and even one little boy with a beard and moustache. They were so happy. Not a lot to be happy about but the thing you must remember is that these people are not asking for much. I will take the credit and say my team faces were the best. 

We then handed out colouring pencils and let them just spend some time drawing and colouring. So basic yet so much fun. 

Finally ended the session with hand painting prints on the walls. 

They were all given sweets and little hats to take away. 

God bless their little souls. 

Fatema Tanzila

Field work is all about hard labour and personal experience.
Just want to say to my people your contribution matters a lot. Without funds we can’t imagine stepping ahead with the project work. I was happy about raising a little amount of fund achieving my target but I was completely lost and felt helpless after reaching the camp realising this is nothing for them but at least this amount helped 12 women with their dignity kits so to keep going we need more funds. 

It has hit me really bad while I was at the camp site. First thought in my head was how far does this camp go and where does it end? Then second question was how do they survive here? for how long will they be surviving like this? What happens to them in the monsoon? We surely know about the recent increase in thunderstorms in Bangladesh. The number of deaths in Bangladesh monsoon this year by the lightning strike has literally shaken me. I live in a concrete building in the city yet I am extremely scared when it’s thundering really bad but look at these Rohingya refugees who already went through horrendous experiences before settling here. They live in bamboo shacks, which is life threatening for them during the cyclone & monsoon season. Possibility of flood for the ones who live at the bottom and the ones who built their houses at the top of the hills are very high. The risk of landslides as slopes may collapse in the rain also exists.
I have a lot to share here but it’s about the necessities of life which include: food, water, shelter,
hygiene/sanitation and also healthcare. Education is important but it comes a lot later. Here, we first need to ensure sustainable solution and development for these refugees.

Iffat Binte Iftekhar

On the 6th November 2018 I joined Global One as one of the volunteers for their Bangladesh Deployment and it was an experience I will remember forever. Before I came on the deployment I didn’t know what to expect, like most people I’ve read articles about the crisis and seen pictures on the news, but nothing could prepare me for how it actually was. Even though the conditions in November were far better than three months before, the Rohingya people are still faced with a relentless uncertainty about their future and their children’s. The hollow, traumatized looks of some of the women were heart breaking and I can’t fathom how they feel after having lost everything.

The organisation has four health posts in the Rohingya Refugee campsite which provide free medicine and treatment and most of my tasks took place on camp number twenty. Now, anyone who knows me knows that walking is not my thing, let alone walking long distances in excruciating heat, and I surprised myself by being able to do complete the walk each day, motivated by the rest of the team and the support we were going to provide. My tasks consisted of collecting several case studies, planting trees, packing and distributing dignity kits for women and survival kits for babies. We also had to construct a child friendly space for kids in one of the health camps of Global One so that patients that come with children had a safe space to play in.

I am so grateful for the experience and the new friends that I made. CEO of GO, Dr. Husna aunty has to be the loveliest woman I know and showered me with so much love and support throughout the deployment. Rizwan bhaia, thank you for this opportunity or else I would’ve never experienced what I did. Riyaj bhaia, Tanjena Rajvi apu, Mouni Miftahul Jannat apu you guys were always by our side guiding us and it amazes me that you are continuing your work every day. To all the volunteers especially Sabrina Hussain حسين apu, Sajna apu and Fahima Begum apu for being this awesome. I hope our BDF fam will go a long way, we faced every exhaustion and heartbreaks together. Most importantly thanks to my dear cousin Fatema Tanzila apu for including me in this, taking me there and basically keeping me safe.

Sabrina Hussain

Day 1 

Three planes, and a lot of coffee later, I land in Cox’s Bazar. Each leg of the journey saw the planes get smaller and smaller as I neared the border of Myanmar. Once a well-known tourist destination, Cox’s Bazar is now known for the sprawling camps located a couple of hours drive away, housing a million refugees who fled genocide at the hands of Myanmar’s military. 

The violence and terror that women experienced in Myanmar is something they have not forgotten and it is our duty to ensure the Rohingya are not forgotten by the world. 

#Humanity should have no borders.

Day 2 

It has been an exhausting and emotional week. I’ve spoken to some awe-inspiring women about the issues they face every day in the camps. (Help from translators- thank you) The spirit is one of resilience, which is remarkable given the horrors they have endured. 

Prepared and distributed “Dignity Kits” to women and girls.
Training delivered by: Mouni Miftahul Jannat #globalone #refugees

Day 3 

Kits were distributed to mothers and their new-borns in refugee camps and rural areas, complete with the essentials for a healthy start in life. 

“BOX4LIFE” includes nutritional and oral rehydration supplements, reusable nappies, breastfeeding supplements, sanitary pads and an insect net. Each box also doubles up as a cot. 

We spend the evening discussing the dangers for women and children who make up 80 per cent of camp population. Women who were raped a year ago are coming forward; some have given birth to the children of their rapists – something I cannot fathom. These women face social stigma and need psychosocial support.
#rohingyachild #globalone 

Training delivered by: Tanjena Rajvi 

Syd Sajna Ali

First of all, I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who donated in support of the Global One Rohingya Refugees Deployment and gave me the opportunity to go on a journey which has changed my outlook on life.

Since August 2017, due to the Rohingya people fleeing the escalating state violence in Myanmar, the refugee population in Bangladesh has more than doubled with the refugee camps overcrowded with immediate and enormous needs yet limited resources. It is beyond comprehension how many miles these camps go on for and the further crisis that the monsoon poses and as part of the deployment team we provided dignity kits, boxes for life, medical aid and water, built a child safety zone and also heard the devastating and harrowing experiences that the Rohingya people had faced. The horror they had been subjected to, girls being raped in front of their parents, men and children being burnt alive, is unfathomable and having to leave made me feel even more helpless.

But when we did leave, we left a piece of our heart and soul there and following the deployment I will continue fundraising and working with Global One to provide the Rohingya people with sustainable support. I can’t just return to my normal life and forget the real people who need all of our help and care which we have a duty to provide. My deployment team and I became a family and I’ll never forget them or the experience.

You can continue to donate by clicking on the link below:

https://www.justgiving.com/Sajna-Ali

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