Because of you… refugees are not forgotten

Last month Murray Sheard, CEO, cbm New Zealand, travelled to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh – home to more than one million Rohingya refugees. Since 2017, families have fled unimaginable violence in Myanmar, crossing the border in search of safety. Many arrived with nothing, carrying injuries, trauma, and disabilities that make survival even harder.

In the main site over 700,000 people are crowded together. Among them are many living with vision loss, hearing loss, and mobility challenges. cbm’s partner, the Centre for Disability in Development (CDD), is a rare and vital presence here: one of only two organisations restoring sight and preventing blindness, and the only group providing hearing aids.

At the cbm-supported field hospital, Murray met Rashma. Her family’s escape was violently interrupted by armed militia. She was beaten, her knee badly damaged, and her ability to walk taken from her. The physical pain was matched by deep emotional wounds. Today, thanks to therapy and counselling from CDD, Rashma can walk again – her pain eased, her spirit renewed.

The next day, in the heart of Camp 8 West, Murray met young Harisa and her parents. You may remember her from our June update – a girl with cerebral palsy whose family fled when she was three. Without early therapy, her muscles stiffened so severely she couldn’t walk or talk. Now, after years of dedicated care, she is taking steps and beginning to speak. Her shy smile said more than words could.

The resilience of the Rohingya people is extraordinary. In conditions most of us can’t imagine, they repair their fragile shelters, care for one another, and find ways to work. cbm also employs and trains people with disabilities, giving them both purpose and a way to serve their own community.

Even small interventions bring huge change. The camp’s steep, muddy terrain is treacherous for older residents. Handrails installed near toilets now mean they can reach them safely – restoring dignity in the most basic daily task.

Yet challenges remain. The Joint Response Plan, which coordinates refugee support, faces a severe funding shortfall after major aid cuts from the UK and USA. Predictions of fuel and food shortages make the road ahead uncertain.

In the midst of this, your ongoing support ensures that the most vulnerable – adults and children with disabilities – are not forgotten. You are helping restore sight, mobility, dignity, and hope in a place where hope is desperately needed. Thank you for your kind and caring heart.

Your gifts continue to be multiplied x4 by the match-funding from our Government’s Aotearoa New Zealand International Development Cooperation Programme!

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