UNHCR distributes aid to Rohingya refugees ahead of Bangladesh winter

Nearly four months into the Rohingya refugee crisis, UNHCR is increasingly worried about the deterioration of the overall protection environment in which refugees are living. In this environment, refugees face a multitude of protection risks.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, will on Sunday start distributing the first of almost 200,000 items of clothing to help recently-arrived Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh prepare for cooler temperatures in the weeks and months ahead.

The distribution will comprise 170,000 warm shawls for adults and 15,000 sweaters for children under two years, worth US$1.5 million.

The monsoon season in southern Bangladesh has now ended and temperatures will soon decline; the average low for January is 15 degrees Celsius. While that temperature is moderate compared to many other regions, the lack of adequate clothing and shelter insulation makes refugees vulnerable to even modest declines in temperatures, especially at night.

Children, who are 55 per cent of the Rohingya refugee population, are particularly vulnerable. So are the women and they represent more than half of all refugees in Bangladesh. An estimated ten percent are either disabled, have serious medical conditions or older persons at risk.

UNHCR has been working to bolster the quality of shelters in the camps by supplying higher quality materials as well as expanding technical support for construction and drainage.

In the last month, the agency has distributed over 15,000 new shelter kits, one-third of the 45,000 targeted in the second phase of its shelter strategy. The full shelter kit includes bamboo poles, ropes, plastic ties, tools, and tarpaulins. Some families, notably female-headed households with small children, are receiving extra assistance to carry the kits and erect their shelters. Distributions will accelerate into 2018.

UNHCR has also distributed more than 40,000 core relief items over the past 30 days alone. A similar number will be provided by the end of the year. The core relief items include blankets, kitchen sets, solar lights, plastic sheets, mosquito nets and jerry cans.