You can rely on Rohingya youths

Around 200 Rohingya youth have had worked in our UNICEF supported education project, I found them very dignity and rights awareness oriented

Since 2017 August while we have been involved in Rohingya response in Ukhiya and Teknaf very keenly. Day passed, in course of time I have been amazed by their attitude, organizing capacities and respect to Bangladesh and to local community.

I have been amazed when I told them that, I want to assist them in any way. But I find in any way they have avoided to take any help from me and also from our organization.

Likewise, once in a very first days 2017 August, while I was passing main road in Ukhiya Teknaf, I wanted to give some money to standing lady in the roadside with Burkah, but she denied. I always found Rohingya people including their youths are with exceptionally strong self-esteem.

Around 200 Rohingya youth have had worked in our UNICEF supported education project, I found them very dignity and rights awareness oriented.

I found their English proficiency and international communication so strong always, recently from camps, virtually they have organized an international seminar. In a small shanty hall room they around fifty youths sitting around a table for around four hours. Prominent civil society leaders from UK, USA, Malaysia, Thailand have joined them virtually, I have been connected them from Dhaka.

Funding cut especially US fund has forced us to close down our education project, we are running some education and technical training with our own money. But I / we are so amazed that these young peoples organized themselves, they have prepared their own curriculum board, printed books, followed Myanmar curriculum, organized education schools around the camps.

They are also connecting themselves internationally for higher education, they are now whole over the world. In the beginning of 2018 while I was visiting abroad, I was pleading to Rohingya diaspora to come and connect in the camps. Now, it is overwhelming, continuous and perhaps institutionalized.

I must say, what are the bad news comes in our media regarding Rohingya e.g., they are not respectful to women and girls. It is very rare, less than 1%. Rohingyas are drug peddlers, absolutely false, historically our boarder community, doing this, although it is very few. Rohingyas are robbers / dacoits, false as well, most of the robbers especially leaders are from our community, they recruit Rohingyas, they are also very few. Mind that within the camps, per square kilometer around 50 thousand Rohingyas are living, amid all insecurities, but they have never attacked host communities. Largely, the atmosphere are peaceful.

I also followed cultural activities of Rohingya youths, along with my colleague Shahin Abrar, they composed inspirational song on Arakan. I strongly believe that Rohingya youths, boys and girl are the real assets of Rohingya community, some days they will be able to go to their motherland and ensure accountability of the atrocities have had happened to Rohingyas.