Dhaka: Rohingya refugees organized on Saturday emergency aid for their host community in Bangladesh, as the worst floods in three decades swept the country’s eastern regions.
Heavy monsoon rainfall, coupled with a surge of water from the neighboring Indian state of Tripura, resulted in severe floods in southeastern and northeastern Bangladesh since Aug. 20.
The flash flooding has hit 11 districts — Feni, Cumilla, Chattogram, Khagrachari, Noakhali, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Lakshmipur, and Cox’s Bazar — killing
at least 59 people and affecting 5.5 million.
More than 1 million families have been cut off from the rest of the country by floodwaters and overflowing rivers and are urgently in need of food, drinking water, and medicines.
With the flooding marking one of the worst such disasters in over 30 years, a group of 12 Rohingya refugees from camps in Cox’s Bazar district stepped in to show their solidarity and bring some relief to the Bangladeshis who have hosted them for years.
On Saturday morning, they started distributing relief packages to 3,000 families in Feni, Cumilla, and Noakhali districts, which they bought from contributions made by their own community members.
“We thought to do something from our side to help the affected people. We approached every household in our Rohingya community. Our people contributed their best,” said Alom Shah, member of the group, whose family has been living in a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar since 2017.
He is among some 1 million Rohingya who fled a deadly military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
“We are just representing our Rohingya community. In 2017, when we came to Bangladesh fleeing the atrocities in Rakhine, the brothers and sisters from Bangladesh stood by us with utmost hospitality and kindness. We are grateful for that kindness. And I believe we also have some responsibilities toward them,” Shah told Arab News.
“It’s time to extend support toward our hosts who saved our lives in 2017. If a friend doesn’t come up in time of need, then they’re not a true friend. Being a part of this relief activity, I feel very proud.”
The Rohingya volunteers brought with them rice, lentils, oil, some other staples and basic medical kits.
Sahat Zia Hero, documentary photographer and Rohingya activist, said in a phone call from Feni that they have been distributing aid since the morning.
“We brought the rations that were donated by our Rohingya community from the camp,” he told Arab News.
“We may not have the means to provide large donations, but we have big hearts and a deep sense of humanity. As refugees, we understand the pain of losing homes and the hardships of being displaced.”
He, too, was committed to showing solidarity with the people who have been helping them for years.
“We can never forget how the people of Bangladesh saved our lives when we fled our country,” he said.
Those who received the help realized well that it came from the people who themselves were dependent on humanitarian aid.
“It’s a great example of humanity. It seems that the food they received as assistance, they are now giving it to us … They are also victims. It seems that one victim is extending help to another one,” said Shohidul Islam, who teaches accounting at Greenland College in Feni.
“The help was supposed to be here from the richest groups of the society. The Rohingya are sheltering here as refugees. In spite of that, they came forward to help … Through this initiative of the Rohingya, humanity has won once again.”
