UNHCR has together with its partner, the Bangladeshi NGO BRAC, distributed 200 Better Shelter units to the host community in Cox’s Bazar following two weeks of continuous rainfall in August, which flooded and destroyed many houses in the southern part of Bangladesh. Affected households were surveyed to identify the families most in need of a temporary shelter.
One of these families is Jahanara Begum and her two daughters, Jubaida and Mahia, who live in Ukhiya.
In 2017, more than 700,000 refugees from the Muslim minority group Rohingya fled violence and persecution in Myanmar to seek safety in neighbouring Bangladesh. Communities in the Bangladeshi Cox’s Bazar area were the first to respond to the enormous number of refugees, showing hospitality and providing lifesaving support together with the Government of Bangladesh. The influx did however put pressure on the local community’s infrastructure and on public services: the rise in population, the rapid increase of the price of goods and congested roads have all contributed to a challenging situation for the local community. The emergency’s impact has been particularly notable in Ukhiya and Teknaf, located nearby the settlements in Kutupalong, which host the majority of the refugee settlements.
