Since the beginning of the latest cycle of violence in Rakhine state, Myanmar, in August 2017, around 741,577 Rohingya refugees have sought refuge in neighboring Bangladesh, in Cox’s Bazar. The crisis stems from Myanmar’s decades-long persecution of about 1.3 million Rohingya, a Muslim minority denied citizenship by law since 1982. Due to many restrictions in Cox’s Bazar, Rohingya refugees are highly dependent on food assistance, in-kind, and voucher programs. Many host community members are left more vulnerable by this rapid influx, not meeting the per capita minimum expenditure basket due to price hikes.
RET conducted two Needs & Assets Assessment Missions in Bangladesh, in Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar, where it held ‘Key Informant Interviews’ with government officials, UN agencies, law firms, donors, and NGOs.
In 2020, RET funded a local NGO called SPACE, “Society for People’s Action in Change & Equity,” to implement the project “Capacity Development for Employment through Eco-Friendly Jute Products” in Kolyanpur Porabosti, Model Thana, Mirpur-1, under Dhaka North City Corporation.
The project aims to provide sustainable livelihoods through multi-sectoral interventions, advancing sustainable development goals 1, 2, 5 & 8.
Vulnerable young women will be enabled through capacity-building to operate their businesses & market their Jute products, thus creating additional employment opportunities and ensuring a regular and sustainable income for young people and their families.
The project builds on youth and their families’ resilience and reduces plastic pollution, providing a better and clean living environment through:
(1) awareness among the targeted population on Jute products and its sustainable effects on socio-economic, health, plastic-free environment & improving livelihood;
(2) strengthening the capacity of target people in designing, processing, producing & marketing jute products and enhancing skills on O&M of equipment as well.
Impact
- 70 young women and men received direct skill support from the project.
- 30 young women and men and their 180 family members received equipment, training, and employment supports from the project.
- 1220 young women along with their mothers and community leaders received information services through various awareness activities.
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