Something to smile and sing about: Child-friendly spaces for Rohingya refugees
“I like drawing birds and fish best,” says Amina. Photo: Himaloy Joseph Mree/World Vision
Amina leads her friends in an action song at a Canada-supported World Vision child-friendly space in Cox’s Bazar.Photo: Himaloy Joseph Mree/World Vision
Ten-year-old Amina* is one of 450,000 Rohingya children living in the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Amina fled the violence in Myanmar in August 2017 with her mother, Rasida*. They walked for 15 days to reach safety, and Amina’s father was killed on the dangerous journey.
Adjusting to life in the refugee camp has been a challenge. But Amina has reason to smile now—she has hope for a better future.
Amina rarely misses a day at the child-friendly space. It’s one of 12 centres that World Vision runs, five of which are funded by the Government of Canada.
Here, children can play, sing and just be children again. Having a regular routine helps them regain a sense of normalcy and recover from the upheaval and violence they have endured. They learn the basics such as reading and writing, as well as hygiene and life skills—all in a safe and fun environment. And they get psychosocial support to process their grief. This is life-saving for children like Amina who have experienced unimaginable loss.
The centres also provide protection for refugee children who are vulnerable to abuses such as trafficking and child labour.
“I like going to the centre,” says Amina. “Every morning my friend, Parvin, comes by, and we go together.”
Amina has attended the centre for a year now, and Rasida is pleased at her progress. “I encourage her to listen attentively,” says Rasida, who hopes her daughter, who completed grade two in Myanmar, can one day go back to school.
Amina remains in Cox’s Bazar despite reports of an agreement to begin repatriating Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. Canada is deeply concerned by reports of efforts to prematurely repatriate Rohingya refugees. Canada continues to provide support to Rohingya refugees like Amina in Cox’s Bazar until their repatriation to Myanmar is voluntary, safe, dignified, sustainable and done in a way that upholds their human rights.
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