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What Matters? Humanitarian Feedback Bulletin #3 (April 18, 2018) [EN/BN]

Countries
Bangladesh
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Sources
BBC Media Action
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Publication date

BBC Media Action, Internews, and Translators Without Borders are working together to collect and collate feedback from communities affected by the Rohingya crisis. This summary aims to provide a snapshot of feedback received from Rohingya and host communities, to assist sectors to better plan and implement relief activities with communities’ needs and preferences in mind.

The information in this edition includes insights from local Cox’s Bazar newspapers; as well as information collected through conversations with affected individuals, community focus group discussions and live radio phone-in programmes on Bangladesh Betar and Radio Naf, which are supported by UNICEF.

The work is being delivered in partnership with IOM, the UN migration agency, and is funded by the UK Department for International Development.

The Rohingya crisis: A dialogue with the host community on their challenges, worries and solutions

The Cox’s Bazar station of government radio broadcaster Bangladesh Betar is producing monthly community discussion programmes that allow host communities to ask questions of local officials and experts. The latest programme was recorded in Cox’s Bazar town with around 40 local people and broadcast on the 31st of March.

Participants raised concerns about several issues during the programme. The main topics of discussion raised by local people were:

• What measures government and development agencies are taking to support host communities – participants felt they had also been heavily affected by the Rohingya crisis.

• Concerns that teaching Bangla in camps may lead to Rohingya people being able to leave the camps and enter mainstream society more easily.

• Worries, particularly among women, about the possibility of marriage between Rohingya women and local men.

• Concerns that many school and college going students are taking jobs with NGOs working as part of Rohingya response. The participants felt that this was having an impact on the overall education sector in Cox’s Bazar and wanted to know the government’s plans to address this.

• A feeling that transportation costs have risen substantially in the local area.