Major cuts to international aid are threatening the lives of thousands of Rohingya refugees sheltering in Bangladesh after fleeing persecution in Myanmar. With a 40% slump in donations last year, the World Food Programme fears it will be forced to slash its food rations.
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00:00It is lunchtime for Rafika's children.
00:04She gives them a fistful of puffed rice and a small packet of cookies.
00:09The family cannot afford to have a proper lunch.
00:13If aid is cut, their situation could worsen.
00:20We are already suffering.
00:22Reducing the rations now will cause us more suffering in the future.
00:27My children and I are also sick now.
00:29We will have to survive in the future.
00:31We will not be able to eat fish, meat or fruits.
00:34If the rations are cut in half, how will we survive in the future?
00:41She and her family have lived in a two-room shelter in this camp in Bangladesh for over eight years.
00:49Food vouchers help refugee families get eggs, chicken, rice, some vegetables and other staples.
00:56But the World Food Programme warns it may have to slash aid, leaving Rafika's family with barely enough for the month.
01:10Rafika's husband, Mohamed Alam, says the family does not want to live on these handouts.
01:16I had land in Arkan.
01:22I used to farm on the land.
01:25I also had a shop.
01:27I was always able to buy food from the market.
01:30I used to get rice and oil from the cultivated land.
01:33There was no shortage of fish and vegetables.
01:39We eat a small amount of dal for dinner.
01:42We eat them and drink water.
01:45We don't have money to buy food.
01:47We can't sell anything.
01:50We can't go outside to work.
01:52We're not allowed to.
01:53The consequences have already been devastating.
02:01Thousands of children are suffering from malnutrition.
02:05Doctors at this children's clinic worry about what will happen when people have even less to eat.
02:11They may suffer from the birth.
02:16They may be a low birth weight baby.
02:19And during infancy, they will suffer from malnutrition and some other diseases.
02:24And they will develop with very low IQ and some nutritional disorder.
02:31But it's not only health that is a concern.
02:34The local representative of the Rohingya people told DW that when a funding shortfall slashed the monthly food allowance in 2023, crime soared.
02:46If the ration is reduced, crime will increase.
02:51Crimes like theft, robbery, drug dealing, heroin dealing.
02:57When food is cut, we cannot keep our children safe in their homes.
03:01The criminals kidnap and hold children captive, and they demand a ransom.
03:09The World Food Programme says that funding remains insecure, and it is renewing its appeal to the donor community for support.
03:19Families like Rafika's, who remain entirely at the mercy of humanitarian aid, feel trapped.
03:27We're very grateful that the government is keeping us well in the camp.
03:31But we don't want to stay here anymore.
03:34We don't want to go to other countries either.
03:36Let us be sent back to our country in a proper manner.
03:44But with the conflict in neighboring Myanmar still ongoing,
03:48it's unlikely these Rohingya refugees will be able to leave Bangladesh soon.
03:54Happy John says that you did another country in this country.
03:55Happy Jane.
04:15Thank you very much for being here.