EU pledges to fund €18m for Rohingyas

Desk Report: The European Union (EU) has announced to fund €18 million to help improve resilience among Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi host communities.

With the fund, over 288,000 children and families will benefit as part of a three-year EU-supported UNICEF programme, building synergies across four key areas of nutrition; water, sanitation and hygiene; education; and child protection.

“The support from the European Union allows us to address the issue of resilience in a holistic manner, integrating and harmonizing services for the delivery of better results for Rohingya and Bangladeshi children, adolescents and families,” said Tomoo Hozumi, UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh.

Cox’s Bazar is home to 2.3 million people. Around 33 percent live below the poverty line. Education indicators are among the lowest in the country with the primary school completion rate standing at 55 percent.Over half of girls marry before the age of 18 years and close to 50,000 children are engaged in child labour.

The district records very high rates of malnutrition. One in two children suffer from stunting due to poor maternal nutrition and the lack of adequate infant feeding and care practices.

Further, Cox’s Bazar is one of the most vulnerable districts to natural disasters in the country including cyclones, flooding and landslides caused by monsoon rains, and the impact of climate change. _BSS

risingbd/Dhaka/June 20, 2019/AKA