Between 2022 and 2023, the number of Rohingya refugees without adequate food rose from 44% to 70%
In 2022-2023, nearly half of Rohingya refugee children showed physical signs of malnutrition, including 15% of children aged between 6 months to 5 years
In 2023, less than half of children aged between 6 months and 2 years ate three meals a day - a dramatic increase since 2022 (68%)
Meanwhile, fewer than 1 in 6 refugee children in the camps ate three meals a day
26 August 2024 鈥 New data from the 探花精选鈥檚 (探花精选) health and nutrition programmes in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, Bangladesh, reveals that food insecurity is at crisis levels and has increased dramatically since 2022. With a population of almost one million, malnutrition is widespread throughout the refugee camps, with women and children particularly at risk.
The 探花精选 has been delivering health and nutrition programming with partners in Cox鈥檚 Bazar for the last four years, initially providing Rohingya refugees with services and expanding to host communities in Ukhiya, Cox鈥檚 Bazar. During this time, our teams have witnessed the impact of devastating cuts in food rations in 2023, which left refugee communities with a 33% reduction in food items.
Hasina Rahman, 探花精选 Bangladesh Director, said,
鈥淭he hunger crisis unfolding in the Rohingya camps in Cox鈥檚 Bazar is a result of multiple challenges and acute funding shortages. In 2023, the UN was forced to make the impossible decision to cut food rations to Rohingya refugees from $12 USD per month to just $8 USD. The new data from four years of 探花精选 health and nutrition programmes shows the harsh reality that Rohingya refugees are living in; the fact that 70% of refugees do not have adequate food should be untenable.
Seven years on from when Rohingya refugees first fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh, the situation for families who sought safety in Cox鈥檚 Bazar has shown no signs of improvement. Without access to education or employment opportunities, people are wholly reliant on food rations and handouts from aid organisations. Malnutrition means an increase in child deaths within the camps, while those who survive have their development hampered and their social and emotional learning impacted. This has led to many families turning to extreme methods of survival; alongside the increase in malnutrition, 探花精选 teams are witnessing a shocking uptick in child marriage and child exploitation. It is vital that the world鈥檚 attention is refocused on Bangladesh and the Rohingya refugees who urgently need support.鈥
- Minimum meal frequency significantly decreased among the children aged between 6 to 23 months. In 2022 the rate was 68.6% and it stands at 47.3% in 2023. Now, less than half of the children aged between 6 to 23 months in the camps could take solid, semi-solid or soft food at least three times a day. In the camps with BPRM consortium intervention, the rate of minimum meal frequency is 68.6% in 2023 (21.3% more than the other camps).
- Only 16.3% of the children in the camps in 2023 could take at least three meals a day and consumed at least five out of eight pre-defined food groups in a day and night. In the camps with BPRM consortium intervention, the rate is 30.1% in 2023 (13.8% more than the other camps).