Rebuilding lives in
Bangladesh
Image depicting Rebuilding lives in Bangladesh
Photo: WFP/Saikat Mojumder
More than 80% of Rohingya refugees rely on WFP for their basic needs.
Donate Now
Photo: WFP/Saikat Mojumder
Fleeing for Their Lives

Since violence first erupted in Myanmar in 2016, the Rohingya exodus to Bangladesh has become one of the most acute refugee emergencies for WFP. The refugee camp at Cox’s Bazar is the largest in the world.

The Evolution of the Rohingya Crisis

July 2019

This year's monsoon season strikes, bringing 28 inches of rain in just 10 days. The deluge causes flooding and landslides and wipes away many of the Rohingya's makeshift shelters. WFP works tirelessly throughout the year to prepare the camp, but still, with such shaky infrastructure, staff must relocate families, provide emergency food and repair the damage.

Photo: WFP/Gemma Snowdon

December 2018

More than a year after the crisis began, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya are still unable to return to their homes in Myanmar. Hundreds more arrive every week.

Photo: WFP Middle East Twitter

May 2018

Monsoon season begins, bringing torrential rain and the constant threat of landslides and flooding.

Photo: WFP

February 2018

Preparations to fortify the camp begin in anticipation of the annual monsoon season, which threatens the camp's fragile infrastructure.

Photo: WFP/Saikat Mojumder

January 2018

WFP launches its e-card program, giving Rohingya refugees the ability to buy fresh produce, protein, and grains.

December 2017

The Kutupalong camp in Cox's Bazar becomes the largest refugee camp in the world, host to more than 900,000 Rohingya refugees.

Photo: WFP/Saikat Mojumder

October 2017

Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees get stuck in no man's land at the border of Bangladesh and Myanmar.

August 2017

The exodus of the Rohingya begins as they flee violence in Western Myanmar.

More than 80% of the refugees in Cox’s Bazar rely on WFP for their basic needs.

  • 911,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar
  • 880,000 refugees rely on WFP every month
  • 45,000 people relocated to safer, newly developed camp sites

meeting the challenge

WFP uses smart, innovative solutions to feed Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. These innovations include e-cards, SCOPE registration, high-energy biscuits and drones.

Photo: WFP/Saikat Mojumder
Engineering

An engineering project between WFP, IOM and UNHCR has helped build safer, new land for refugees living in precarious areas of the camp. Infrastructure is critical for those who are at heightened risk of landslides and flooding.

700

The number of rivers running through Bangladesh

24,000

Number of people relocated to safer areas

SCOPE

Blockchain technology helps WFP collect names, fingerprints and photos when registering refugees. The SCOPE process reduces loss and theft while allowing the humanitarian agency to better monitor and evaluate food distributions.

10,000

Average number of individuals registered per day

30%

Efficiency gains when registering refugees using SCOPE

Photo: WFP/Alessandro Pavone
HEBs

High energy biscuits are easy to distribute and improve nutrition among families without access to water or cooking supplies. They are fortified with 15 essential vitamins and contain 450 calories, offering a quick meal in emergencies.

127,000

Number of Rohingya children receiving HEBs at school

10-15 gr

Grams of protein in every HEB

Drones

Unmanned aerial vehicles like drones help WFP map humanitarian needs across the makeshift refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, even during cloudy weather. Their photos provide immediate, raw visuals and a data source for operational analysis.

2-3 cm

Proximity and precision of drone imagery

10

Number of drones in operation in Cox's Bazar

Because of these efforts, the World Food Programme feeds more than 880,000 people inside Cox’s Bazar each month.

Square photograph of Fatema Detailed photograph of Fatema

Fatema

Fatema uses her e-card to feed her five children after escaping Myanmar without her husband.

Detailed photograph of Rubina

Rubina

12-year-old Rubina can focus on her studies knowing she will receive a school meal tomorrow.

Detailed photograph of Abdul

Abdul

High-energy biscuits give Abdul the nutrition he needs to stay healthy.

More stories from Bangladesh

Photo: WFP/Saikat Mojumder ‘We Can Now Collect Food With Dignity’

This women's history month, Rohingya women share their stories of feeding their families under the most extreme conditions imaginable. How will history remember them?

Read more +
Photo: WFP/Saikat Mojumder Rohingya Crisis: A Firsthand Look Into The World’s Largest Refugee Camp

Hear one aid worker's account of feeding a makeshift city of 1 million Rohingya refugees—and the new threat that now looms.

Read more +
Photo: WFP/Jonathan Dumont Children at War: Seven Stories From the Most Dangerous Places on Earth

Hunger is especially cruel to children. And it's a daily reality for millions of them – a scale that’s difficult for most of us to imagine.

Read more +
See all

More than 900,000 refugees live in Cox’s Bazar refugee camp, and 80 percent of them are women and children. The camp is plagued by poor water, unsanitary conditions, and limited access to health services and food. Here, Tracy Dube, a WFP nutritionist in the camp, describes the challenges that pregnant mothers, new moms and young children face in this pop-up city.

There is more to be done. As of July 2019:
80% of refugees are entirely dependent on WFP for food
more than 1,000 new refugees arrive every month.
WFP needs your support to continue its lifesaving work.
Take action today.
Photo: WFP/Ayesha

Help us realize a future beyond emergency assistance where our help is no longer needed.

Let’s build people’s knowledge, skills and resilience. Let’s invest in economic opportunities and sustainable food systems so that all Rohingya families can get the nutrition they need to reach their full potential.