What are the current threats faced by the Rohingya?

Greetings all,

Adding foliage around a nutrition
center in the midst of the monsoon

The good news from the camps is that we still have not had to finalize the procurement for ambulances that the logs team started 1.5 months ago - in other words, the predicted surge has not yet occurred in the camps. In general, the morbidity and mortality rates in Bangladesh are significantly lower than in the US (this is largely true across Asia). This is good, at least in the sense that the toll of the virus there has been less than many predicted. At the same time, our colleagues report to us that people are not taking the virus very seriously any more. The government has opened tourism again in Cox's Bazar, so there are lots of people back in town!

The most recent research indicates that the Rohingya's greatest concerns are not centered around the virus currently, but rather basic survival. Their shelters are disintegrating. Access to food, and food security in general, is poor. They feel abandoned due to the decrease in NGO workers allowed in the camps. And they struggle with sufficient cash to meet their daily needs since the cash-for-work programmes are so limited with the reduction of programming in general. Someone recently pointed out that more people have died of drowning in the camps than from COVID-19. While this may not be entirely true (as we don't know for sure how many have died from COVID-19), it indicates that there are simply other threats which currently pose a greater danger to the well-being of the Rohingya than the virus.

This story tells how one Rohingya couple nonetheless live in hope: "https://www.medair.org/stories/we-live-in-hope/"

Signs of hope!

Our visa journey feels a bit like the proverbial "one step forward, two steps back." When I was describing the situation to my neighbor the other day, he said, "I am not sure I could deal with all that uncertainty." I responded by saying, "That is why it is my life, and not yours!" But we have to admit to sometimes getting a bit discouraged by the process.

We have had what feels like some significant breakthroughs in the last week (for which we give thanks to God):

1. Christine got her bill for the repatriation flight, we paid it within hours of getting it, and she was immediately in touch with the passport agency to get her passport; 
2. My initial application for a visa was rejected on a technicality (but they didn't cash the check!) - but we were successful in getting me authorization to work connected to the in-country process related to bringing foreign funds into Bangladesh. 

That is the good news. 

Trees planted in the Camp 11 Nutrition center run by Medair

The challenges now are that Christine's payment needs to make it through the US government systems to take away the red flag on the passport agency's information system. Simply showing the receipt wasn't good enough. I have resubmitted a new passport application (with the old cashier's check) as of Tuesday of this week. With the documents I got from in-country, getting the visa should be a formality. The embassy was immediately responsive that I should simply redo my online application and submit my documents. So I am hopeful that I will be getting my visa in the next week. 

We have continued to work with our team in the last month. We feel badly for our tenants downstairs when we work until midnight or beyond, and then get up at 6 am again for meetings! The creaky floors in our upstairs apartment do make significant noise. But the tenants reassure us that we aren't keeping them from sleeping.



Praise for:

• The grace that our tenants are giving us!
• Breakthrough (even if it comes in small doses).
• For the outside contractor processing the repatriation flight bills who was super helpful when Christine contacted her - and made sure that Christine got her bill by email in order to pay it ASAP.
• The excitement of our teams around our return!
• 33 years of marriage which we will celebrate on the 5th of September (I was recently with a friend who was celebrating 70 years of marriage with his wife - so that put our milestone a bit in perspective). We will get to celebrate with our kids in Rochester MN!

Prayer for: 

• That the God of hope would continue to nurture hope within the Rohingya! 
• The meeting of the daily needs of the Rohingya.
• God's ongoing grace sparing the Rohingya from the worst of the virus!
• For the US government information system to catch up with our payment....
• For the new Bangladesh country director hired by Medair - Rachel Hirons - an American who will face at least some of the challenges in getting a visa that we have faced. Pray for breakthrough for her!