News (actually) from Bangladesh

 "Celebrate God all day, every day.... Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitiions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns." Philippians 4: 4, 6 (Msg)

This post comes to you from Bangladesh! The "one step forward, two steps back" process that we detailed in our last post led to me getting a visa good through the end of the year. I had planned to fly out on the 20th, but had a horrible sinusitis at that point. So I delayed a week, left on the 27th, arrive in Bangladesh on the 29th and am writing you from quarantine (which will end on Tuesday). I am thankful to be back, and to be working from the same time zone as my colleagues!

This, of course, means that I left the US without Christine. But we did, thankfully, have some good news regarding Christine before I left! She received her passport during the week before my departure! Given that my visa, and that of the new CD (who is also from the US) took only a week or so, I pray that Christine will be able to join me in the next couple of weeks. 

We are hoping to be able to extend our visas once we get here. But we will have to see about this. Visas

@ Hailey Sadler

will simply remain an ongoing challenge for us as long as we aspire to accompany the Rohingya, and our colleagues, here in Bangladesh. 

I have not seen this on the international news much, but there has been significant violence in the camps over the last 2 months It started with periodic gun battles at night, and in the last week it has progressed to pitched battles between rival groups in the camps. At this point the death toll is 8 persons (including one Bangladeshi from the host community that lives in the camps). It is a little difficult to say exactly what is driving this violence. There are two aspects that seem to be clear: 

1. Dissension between groups having been in the camps for longer and more newly arrived refugees;
2. Conflict between different groups involved in the drug trade. 

This study demonstrates some of the complexities of life for the Rohingya. Let me quote from the Executive Summary: 

"Decades of persecution of the Rohingya community in Myanmar have culminated in several large waves of forced displacement, and a total of nearly one million now live as refugees in the camps of Cox’s Bazar across the Bangladesh border. Many others have sought refuge in Malaysia and other countries across the region. Widespread irregular migration has reshaped Rohingya society, with a vast number of families splintered across multiple borders. Although international justice mechanisms are engaged, a durable political remedy for the crisis is not yet visible on the horizon. Since 2017, the humanitarian response has focused on short-term needs such as food, shelter, and basic healthcare. As the displacement crisis enters its fourth year, a shift in approach is due. This study, Navigating at the Margins, carried out by The Asia Foundation and the Centre for Peace and Justice, Brac University, utilizes qualitative and quantitative methods to document how Rohingya families in the camps of Cox’s Bazar cope with hardship, with a focus on family separation and economic challenges....

The refugees’ sense of reprieve after fleeing immediate danger has given way to the realization that they will likely stay in the camps a long time. Therefore, their priorities have expanded to include longer-term necessities such as education for their children. Camp households are also pressed to find ways to come up with money for the assorted living costs not covered by aid, such as communication expenses, a more diverse diet, or healthcare for conditions not treated by camp facilities. However, access to Cash for Work programs or NGO jobs remains limited, and just under half of camp households report having no income at all to supplement aid. As a result, some families sell a portion of their rations or engage in riskier activities to make ends meet. The majority of refugee households also accrue unsustainable amounts of debt. Facing a bleak future in an environment offering no hope of upward social mobility, some opt to place their lives into the hands of traffickers and risk perilous travel to other countries. Medium-term livelihood solutions are needed to prevent harmful coping patterns and allow refugees, most of whom lost all their assets in the exodus, to rebuild their lives until they eventually leave the camps." 

 Whether this violence is a result of coping mechanisms on the part of the refugees, or something else, it has already had disastrous effects on them. And it is hard to say what all the effects will be. We welcome your prayers against this violence!

Here is an article about this violence: https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/rohingya-crisis/2020/10/07/hundreds-injured-in-clashes-between-two-factions-in-rohingya-camp. 

As you can see, there continue to be challenges beyond COVID-19 that the refugees face. The situation of COVID-19 is, obviously, not resolved here in Bangladesh, nor in the camps - even as it remains concerning in the US. 

Praise for: 

• Me receiving my visa and being able to return to Bangladesh - this is where we feel called to be at this time, in order to continue to walk with the Rohingya; 
• Christine getting her passport - this has made the separation more bearable than it would have been otherwise!
• The excellent work of our international and Bangladeshi colleagues!

Prayer for: 

• Ongoing long-term solutions for the situation the Rohingya face; 
• Respite from the violence of these last few months; 
• Hope for the Rohingya in a difficult situation
• The ongoing visa situation for humanitarian aid workers in Bangladesh - Christine and I included.