World Refugee Day: Building hope in a temporary shelter

Every refugee carries a unique story; pain, loss, resilience, and unimaginable strength. They are not defined by what they’ve lost, but by the courage with which they rebuild their new lives. We mark World Refugee Day by sharing their stories of hope, strength, courage, of community, and to show solidarity.

Although up to 80% of current refugees in Cox’s Bazaar have now lived in a camp for almost eight years since 2017**, there are restrictions limiting any repairs that make their homes more ‘permanent’ in Bangladesh.

Habitat New Zealand’s work with Habitat Bangladesh is about working together with Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh, to improve their living conditions and build resilience as they navigate living in refugee camps.

Habitat strives to make a positive impact for families while still working within current restrictions, such as providing and installing tarpaulins to stop roof leaks and bamboo reinforcements to repair structures.

“Before, when it rained, water would enter the house. Now, after putting up the tarpaulin, the rain doesn't come,” says Nur, a community member.

“It was broken,” says another woman about her home before repairs were made.

Since mid-2024, Habitat has repaired 300 shelters and restored 200 tubewells (a source of drinking water) and sanitation facilities — lifelines for clean water and hygiene. In some camps, anywhere from five to nine households can share one latrine, meaning repairs to one sanitation facility can improve the living conditions of many people.

The programme also goes beyond patching up structures; bundles of shelter material are being distributed, and refugees are learning how to maintain their homes through group training sessions. Hygiene training takes place after upgrading facilities, equipping families with knowledge to maintain clean and healthy environments. Local workers are also being trained, ensuring these skills stay within the community.

Together, we can do more.

Now more than ever, we must continue to show solidarity with refugees around the world.

Sources

*UNHCR Hong Kong

**Population Fact Sheet published by the Joint Government of Bangladesh (GoB) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR