From Jersey to Cox’s Bazar
Since January, I’ve been living in Cox’s Bazar, a coastal city of around 200,000 people in south-east Bangladesh. It’s one of the country’s most popular domestic tourist destinations, with busloads of visitors arriving daily to enjoy the famous long, sandy beach and shop in the busy markets.
But just 30 kilometres away lies a very different reality: the world’s largest refugee settlement. Over one million Rohingya refugees are crammed into an area nearly five times smaller than Jersey.
The Rohingya are a stateless ethnic minority from neighbouring Myanmar. For decades, they’ve faced persecution – denied citizenship, barred from education and jobs, and restricted in their movements.
In 2017, following extreme violence and human rights violations, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled across the border into Bangladesh. The conflict in Myanmar continues to this day, and around 150,000 more people have arrived in the past 18 months.
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) works alongside the Government of Bangladesh and other partners to provide shelter, food, clean water, healthcare, and protection to the refugees, who rely almost entirely on humanitarian aid to survive.
Thanks to support from Jersey Overseas Aid, I’ve joined UNHCR’s external relations team through the UN’s Junior Professional Officer programme. My role involves strategic communications and external engagement – from writing discussion points for high-level meetings to coordinating donor visits and compiling reports that show the impact of our work.
Life in the camps
The refugee camps are densely packed and precarious. Shortly after I arrived in Cox’s Bazar, a colleague showed me a ‘hazard calendar’, giving an overview of the risks refugees face throughout the year – from cyclones to flash floods, landslides, and fires.
We’re currently in the rainy season. The camps are built on steep hillsides, and heavy downpours can trigger landslides that destroy shelters and endanger lives. Refugees, particularly children, are also at risk of drowning due to floods.
From September to April, the dry season brings a different danger: fire. A stray spark from a stove or discarded cigarette can quickly spread through the tightly packed bamboo and tarpaulin shelters. UNHCR has trained refugee volunteers in fire response, but the narrow roads make access difficult for fire-fighting equipment.
One of my first tasks here was to report on UNHCR’s emergency response to a fire that killed a five-year-old child, injured multiple people, and destroyed around 50 shelters. This was a sobering introduction to life in the camps.
Bhasan Char
In June, I visited Bhasan Char, a remote island in the Bay of Bengal where the Government of Bangladesh has relocated around 30,000 refugees to ease overcrowding in the camps.
Life on the island is strikingly different. Refugees live in uniform rows of concrete shelters, and there’s more space to grow crops and fish in the surrounding waters. Many people feel safer here, away from the security challenges of the mainland camps.
UNHCR coordinates aid and monitors refugee protection on Bhasan Char. But this isn’t a permanent solution and most Rohingya dream of eventually returning home to Myanmar. Sadly, this hope remains out of reach unless conditions drastically improve.
The impact of funding cuts
Just weeks into my posting, the US government announced a freeze on foreign aid, followed by sweeping cuts. Other countries, including the UK, have also slashed their humanitarian budgets. The ripple effect was immediate, with organisations around the world scaling back operations and laying off staff.
UNHCR estimates that 11.6 million displaced people globally are at risk of losing direct assistance in 2025.
In Bangladesh, the impact has been significant, with Rohingya refugees facing deteriorating conditions. Funding cuts are threatening vital services like education, healthcare, and food. UNHCR has had to make tough decisions, focusing only on lifesaving support, even though refugees depend on aid for nearly everything.
It’s a tough time to be entering the humanitarian sector. Jobs are disappearing and budgets are shrinking, while needs are growing. The future feels uncertain, but my experience in Bangladesh so far has given me a clearer understanding of the challenges – and the importance – of humanitarian work. I’m committed to continue learning and contributing while I can.
