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For Myanmar Refugees in Bangladesh, Dignity Matters
The following first-hand account is written by an Islamic Relief USA staff member who visited IRUSA relief projects for refugees from Myanmar in Bangladesh. During a visit to Kutapalong camp in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh, I sat in a shelter made of straw and bamboo that housed multiple families. Everyone there had fled violence and conflict in Myanmar a year earlier, leaving behind their homes, possessions, and family members. Everyone had lost a spouse, a child, parents, or siblings. The trauma and pain each refugee now lives with is unthinkable: acts of genocide took place before their own eyes, destroying everything they held dear. Everyday, they are reminded of this devastating…
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IRUSA Interns Reflect on World Refugee Day
Rohingya at Risk: Washington’s Call to Action By: Tasia Matthews This World Refugee Day, Senators Chris Coons (D-Delaware) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), both chairpersons on the Senate Human Rights Caucus, hosted a briefing in the Russell Senate Office Building titled “Rohingya at Risk.” As the name suggests, the briefing served to both raise awareness of the facts and intricacies of the Rohingya refugee crisis, as well as a call to action. In addition to Coons, opening remarks were made by Eric Schwartz, president of Refugees International; Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), and a panel of three women – Joan Timoney, Jana Mason, and Francisca Viguad-Walsh, senior representatives from the Women’s…
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Meet One Of The Most Persecuted People On Earth
Bilal Aslam is programs officer at Islamic Relief USA. He traveled to Indonesia to meet refugees who are stuck in the middle of their planned journeys out of Malaysia. This is the remarkable story of one young man. A minority group in Myanmar have long endured the trauma of not knowing where they’ll live, and not knowing where they’ll find acceptance. It’s a homelessness that has deeply affected their community. Many are deeply tormented by it. To escape the persecution and to search for a better life, many boarded ships with hopes to reach Malaysia or Australia. Many pay more than $1,000 to purchase tickets for the journey. When they arrive to board the…
