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Old March 22, 2018, 06:41 AM
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Antora Antora is offline
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Join Date: February 28, 2007
Location: melbourne, Australia
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SportingBD
If you have a house in BD that is left empty most of the year, take them in.
Provide for them until the situation gets resolved and they can return home peacefully.

If you are going there in BD for holiday, take couple of orphans (at least one if you feel uncomfortable with more) to your place, give them the best time possible. They may never experience such kind of experience as you can provide for them, even for a week or two. They will cherish those moment. To live a week like a normal person, that can do whatever he wishes, like a normal kid. They will make sincere dua for you. Make them happy and smile.
As an international development professional, I STRONGLY disagree with your recommendations.

If you start providing for a group of people in your house, they'll never leave. Also, I recommend you and others to read up on orphanage tourism and the negative mental health impacts that have on children. You can't just give children a good life for a week then send them back to the camps. That does more harm to them mentally as children from these traumatic humanitarian crises need to develop long-term relationships and stability in their lives.

Obviously, I am biased so I'd encourage donating to organisations such as Oxfam, Save the Children, Plan International etc.

There are Rohingya communities scattered around the globe, and I would recommend supporting diaspora Rohingyas in strengthening their voice. Here in Melbourne, Rohingya communities have protested in front of state and federal parliaments. One easy way to help is by joining them to strengthen their voice in the political sphere--you can even approach your local MPs.

If anyone here is involved in the media, gather your local Rohingya community leaders and give them a platform to speak and educate others on what's happening.

Another way to help is to approach organisations such as Oxfam or Save the Children and volunteer--although there has been a bit of an influx. Being Bangladeshis, we are in an advantageous position to volunteer on the ground given the language and cultural similarities with Rohingyas. There's a need for doctors, mental health professionals, educators etc.

If you guys are wanting to donate, my personal opinion would be to donate to education programs and women's empowerment programs. Everything else is also very important, but these things are vital for the younger Rohingya population. This is a community who have never had a formal education; all they know is Madrasa education. So in order for them to move forward, education is vital and women being educated is extremely important.
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