Bangladesh - Humanitarian Response to the Rohingya Refugee Crisis – Plan Canada 2019

January 2019 – Following the outbreak of violence in Northern Rakhine State in August 2017 more than 735 000 Rohingya crossed from Myanmar into Bangladesh over a period of several months. These refugees joined some 200 000 to 300 000 Rohingya already in Bangladesh following earlier waves of displacement. The speed and scale of the influx has resulted in significant humanitarian needs. With GAC’s support Plan International Canada is helping to respond to the immediate needs of adolescents affected by the Rohingya refugee crisis with a specific emphasis on adolescent girls. Project activities include: (1) establishing separate adolescent boys and girls youth clubs with information and services; (2) providing gender-responsive case management services for adolescent girls and boys in need of protection; and (3) training key community stakeholders on coordination of services and gender-responsive community-level protection of children.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved knowledge and skills related to self-protection and protection issues and services among adolescent girls and boys (between the ages of 10 and 17) and young women and men (between the ages of 18 and 25) in refugee communities; (2) increased availability of quality gender-responsive assistance and protection services including psychosocial support and case management for adolescent girls and boys and young women and men in refugee communities; and (3) strengthened capacity of community actors to build a protective environment for adolescent girls and boys and young women and men in refugee communities. The expected ultimate outcome is reduced suffering increased and maintained human dignity and lives saved for Rohingya refugees particularly adolescents and youth in Cox’s Bazar Bangladesh.