They have survived the unimaginable. Beatings. Torture. Sexual Violence. Homes burned. Villages destroyed. Loved ones lost.


On August 25, 2017, an outbreak of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State ignited a mass exodus of Rohingya refugees. More than 700,000 were forced to flee. The vast majority are women and children. More than a year on, UNHCR continues to work in tandem with its partners to provide Rohingya refugees with the essentials: shelter, food, access to clean water, education, health care and psychological counselling.


In the face of unspeakable horrors, against incredible odds, the Rohingya remain resilient. They are forging ahead with determination and perseverance to rebuild their lives. Here are a few of their stories.


Rohingya refugees shelter beneath umbrellas as they make their way down a footpath during a heavy monsoon downpour in Camp 4, Kutupalong Expansion Site for Rohingya refugees, Ukhia, Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh.


Photos on pages 8–11: ©UNHCR/David Azia 2018 MAY MAY 4


UNHCR rushes additional aid to Bangladesh where the first monsoon rains hit the Cox’s Bazar district. Humanitarian partners estimate that up to 200,000 Rohingya refugees could be at risk during the monsoon season.


Many live on rugged terrain prone to landslides and flooding and are in urgent need of relocation.


KEY DATES IN THE ROHINGYA CRISIS JULY


AUGUST JULY 25


UNHCR’s monsoon preparedness efforts are put to the test as 463 millimetres of rain pours down across the Cox’s Bazar district in a single day. By mid-August, more than 24,000 refugees in locations vulnerable to landslides had been relocated by UNHCR to safer areas.


AUGUST 28 UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador


Cate Blanchett urges UN Security Council to address “pressing needs” of Rohingya refugees.


“Nothing could have prepared me for


the extent and depth of the suffering I saw,” she said. “I am a mother, and I saw my children in the eyes of every single refugee child I met.”


By the numbers


723, 076 Rohingya refugees arrived in Bangladesh between August 25, 2017 and July 18, 2018 205,000 Rohingya families in Bangladesh 55% of refugees in Bangladesh are children under the age of 18


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