“Refugees are not always ‘victims’. They are a positive force”: Atom Araullo

Cox’s Bazar district takes pride as a thriving tourist destination attracting locals and foreign visitors to its 120 kilometer beach – the longest in the world. In August 2017, the eyes of the world shifted from the beach to the influx of Rohingya refugees fleeing armed attacks, arson, and violence on Rakhine State. They escape years of persecution faring dangerous crossings through water and land to get to safety. At the beginning of the crisis, 16,000 Rohingya were entering Bangladesh every day. The world witnessed the fastest growing refugee influx it has seen in decades that made Kutupalong Camp the world’s largest refugee settlement with nearly a million refugees hosted over the past two years.

“When I first came here, it was chaos and confusion”, said Atom as he recounts his experience when he covered the emergency response at the peak of the crisis in 2017. Atom spoke of refugees arriving the crowded settlements in Cox’s Bazar and seeing refugees in dire need of psychosocial support, food, water, shelter, and health services. On the other hand, he also saw how humanitarian actors, the host community, and donors responded to an unprecedented situation. “It’s interesting to see how the community is coping two years on”, he said.

Over the following years, organisations like UNHCR increased its presence on the ground expanding its activities beyond providing core relief items. To date, it continues to address emerging challenges and needs in Cox’s Bazar made possible by continued support of donors. Assistance is provided to both Rohingya refugees and the Bangladeshi community compassionately hosting them.

EDUCATION

Across the Rohingya settlements, refugees need opportunities to attend and continue learning. UNHCR and partner organisations have built 1,602 learning spaces for Rohingya refugees and deployed 1,251 trained teachers since 2017. Sitting in one of the English hour class, “Importante na yung mga tao na nandito sila sa Bangladesh ay productive. Part of the solution is getting an education and skills to be productive members of society”, Atom said.

Rohingya children participate in an English class in Kutupalong refugee camp. © UNHCR/Joshua Paul

Goodwill Ambassador Atom Araullo sits with refugee children in a learning space set up for Rohingya refugees in Kutupalong camp. © UNHCR/Joshua Paul

SOCIAL COHESION

Respecting the autonomy, leadership, and input of refugees is essential when responding to a crisis. Atom speaks with Muktar, one of the elected refugee representatives in this part of the camp. UNHCR recognizes that elections are an important step towards increasing participation, ownership, and accountability of the refugee governance system and representatives like Muktar serve an important function, relaying information to the community and communicating refugees’ complaints and feedback to camp authorities.

ENVIRONMENT AND ECO-SYSTEM REHABILITATION

When refugees settled in Kutupalong, wood was cut down for shelters and firewood for cooking. The sandy slopes are prone to soil erosion and potential landslides in a country, much like the Philippines, beset with harsh monsoons every year. Inter-agency initiatives began in 2018 with the implantation of disaster risk mitigation such as slope stabilization, and reforestation to mitigate deforestation. Families were also encouraged to cultivate crops, harvest, and enjoy their own-garden grown produce like how they did in Myanmar. The greenery around the settlement was bright and vibrant, and Rohingya families are enjoying the bounty.

A general shot of Kutupalong refugee camp with Myanmar visible in the horizon. © UNHCR/Joshua Paul

STRENGTHEN GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE PREVENTION MECHANISMS

Atom joins one of the 4,000 adolescents from 90 youth clubs benefitting from life-skills programmes, awareness raising on child protection and GBV prevention, reporting and referral of cases.

A community centred approach to ensure the participation of key partners (including women, girls, boys and men) through GBV prevention and response activities are conducted in the camp.

Atom Araullo listens to members of the Rohingya male community role models during a sharing session in Kutupalong refugee camp. © UNHCR/Joshua Paul

Atom Araullo listens to members of the Rohingya male community role models during a sharing session in Kutupalong refugee camp. © UNHCR/Joshua Paul

Two years on

After his encounters with camp leaders, medical workers, first responders, environmental warriors, and refugees, Atom speaks of some semblance of peace and security. “It’s important to see that the world has responded,” he said. As a Filipino, Atom takes pride that Filipinos are part of the community of supporters who continue to stand in solidarity with the Rohingya since the onset of the crisis.

These past two years may have stabilised the situation but this was also the crucial period where the sustained support helped refugees thrive and not just survive. Atom expressed that it is during this phase where we see that, “Hindi naman biktima parati ang mga refugees. They are a positive force.”

Atom plays carrom with Rohingya male community role models in Kutupalong refugee camp. © UNHCR/Joshua Paul

Atom speaks to a doctor at a medical centre in Kutupalong refugee camp. © UNHCR/Joshua Paul

Atom meets with members of the elephant response team in Kutupalong refugee camp. © UNHCR/Joshua Paul

Atom plays chinlone (caneball), a traditional sport in Myanmar, with refugees at the Kutupalong refugee camp. © UNHCR/Joshua Paul

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