New Hope for Rohingya Refugees with Disabilities in Cox’s Bazar | The Storyteller
▻https://storyteller.iom.int/stories/new-hope-rohingya-refugees-disabilities-coxs-bazar
https://storyteller.iom.int/sites/default/files/styles/facebook_graph_/public/1_12.jpg?itok=Iz0MGo71 Twenty-six-year-old Anuara was born with a congenital limb defect. However, this does not stop the single mother from doing her household chores, getting around the camp and looking after her two-year-old. “I have been using my hands to walk my entire life,” Anaura explains. Yet, since the onset of COVID-19, she is increasingly relying on her neighbours for errands. Anaura is one of the 59 Rohingya refugees with disabilities who will receive assistive devices in the coming weeks. “I hope the wheelchair will be the right height for me, so I can get into the seat by myself,” she says. Most of the people with disabilities living in the camps have been disabled their entire lives, but have never owned an assistive device to facilitate their daily tasks.
According to a recent assessment conducted by the Age and Disability Working Group (ADWG) and the Protection Working Group (PWG) of the Humanitarian Country Team in Cox’s Bazar, of which the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is a member, almost half of the persons with disabilities living in the camps do not own assistive devices or have access to rehabilitation services. Rohingya refugees need more support to obtain meaningful access to basic services. IOM mainstreams its assistance for people with disabilities across all programmes to ensure vulnerable individuals receive appropriate support, referrals, care and individualized treatment based on their needs. Mobility restrictions related to COVID-19 increased concerns over the protection of those most vulnerable, while challenging living conditions with access and mobility limitations have been exacerbated for the elderly, as Mabia, 73, can attest. Along with eyesight challenges, Mabia also has terrible back pain which makes it hard for her to lie down. She currently sleeps on a mat on the floor, under the same roof with four of her relatives. One of them is Amin, her 24-year-old nephew, who, three years ago, carried his grandmother on his back for three days straight, as they fled conflict in Myanmar and took refuge in Bangladesh.
“I see her suffering and it pains me,” Amin says. Mabia will soon receive prescription glasses and a medical air mattress, which they hope will alleviate some of her back pain. Last year, a total of 132 Rohingya refugees with disabilities in Teknaf camps received assistive devices, through IOM’s partnership with the Christian Blind Mission (CBM) and the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), who lent their technical expertise, assessing the needs, providing tutorials about usage and maintenance, and conducting follow-up visits
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