UNITED SIKHS Rohingya Mission Updates Rohingya Refugees Continue to Receive Care & Support

Volunteers providing food, medical aid, hygiene awareness, and religious support
After three months since the conflict broke out in Myanmar, the Rohingya refugees are escaping the violence into Bangladesh at record rates. Hundreds of thousands find their way through a perilous journey to overcrowded refugee camps near Cox’s Bazar. Others remain scattered along dirt roads calling make-shift tarp structures home for weeks. At every step of the journey, the Rohingya battle the threat of starvation, poverty, violence, and extreme emotional trauma. UNITED SIKHS teams have been working tirelessly to reach as many Rohingya refugees no matter where they are.

“We found around 250 more Rohingyas few miles away from the Bahukhali campsite, they were starved because of the fear of being found” said Gurbaksh Singh appalled by the state of humanity. Gurbaksh Singh and the Bangladesh team made a trek to the border of Myanmar through the jungles of Bangladesh, bringing warm meals and medicine to those in need.

With the support of generous donors & selfless volunteers, the Rohingya mission has blossomed to a holistic operation that has been able to provide medical care, fresh-water, hygiene and sanitation to the most vulnerable community in the world. Moreover, volunteers are working day and night to reach other Rohingya refugees who are in dire need of food and supplies.

Medical Aid:
Most Rohingya refugees have suffered through tremendous physical trauma – be it bullet wounds, serious head injuries, malnourishment, amongst others. Several doctors and nurses, who comprised the UNITED SIKHS Medical Team, organized medical clinics around the campsite so that the refugees could receive care. In many cases, this was the first time since escaping Myanmar the some had received treatment for their wounds. The injured and malnourished refugees were also given prescription medicines when needed as well as first aid kits and basic medical essentials for daily functioning.

“Two women from my neighborhood and I were captured by the Burmese army officers and raped several times” said a dismayed Rohingya woman. Listening to these horror stories created a need for counselling for these victims. Trained medical volunteers are being brought onsite for counselling these victims of physical and emotional abuse.

Hygiene Awareness & Sanitation Efforts:
Health goes hand in hand with hygiene. The UNITED SIKHS team of trained medical volunteers are actively educating the Rohingyas about the importance of maintaining proper hygiene to ensure good health. Dr. Bhupinder Kaur and her team of nurses distributed soaps while talking to the adults and kids in the camp about washing hands before meals and keeping the camps clean. Additionally, the UNITED SIKHS team has now successfully erected 56 toilets & hygiene stations for the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar. These sanitation efforts will help prevent diseases like cholera as Bangladesh prepares for monsoon season.

Dr. Bhupinder Kaur (left) distributing soaps and providing hygiene education to the kids and adults at the camp. The UNITED SIKHS sevadars (right) distributing soaps at the camp site as a part of the hygiene awareness initiative.

Faith & Spiritual Support:
Volunteers spent days distributing Qurans to the Rohingya refugees to help feed their aching souls in this time of need. Being able to pray freely in these difficult times has brought much needed courage and strength to the Rohingya families. Moreover, our team has partnered with one of the local masjids (mosque) to provide food to the families who visit it. As the Sikh community celebrates the legacy of the 9th Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji this year, our team has put the teachings of Oneness from the Guru into practice.

The UNITED SIKHS sevadars distributing Qurans to the muslim Rohingyan population at the camp site.

The current reality of the Rohingya people is dire; their suffering is testimony to how man-made divisions and conflict can leave a person shattered and helpless. However, our team has seen incredible resilience in the eyes of the Rohingya people.

The lack of humanity that caused the refugees to flee their homes is being challenged every day by our volunteers – the Sevadaars are infusing every effort with the spirit of the Guru: to selflessly love and serve all fellow human beings. That spirit, in action, is truly remarkable and brings hope in dark times. It brings smiles back to a people, whose smiles were robbed from them. Those moments are what motivates the UNITED SIKHS volunteers to go above and beyond their abilities, every day.

Jatin Singh (left) enjoying the popsicles with the ecstatic Rohingya kids.

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Issued by,
Gurvinder Singh
Director,UNITED SIKHS SikhAid
E: sikhaid@unitedsikhs.org