A widow with three children in a dilapidated house

This widows house before the SHE team worked on it!

Greetings all, 

Because we most often talk about nutrition activities in our blogs, you may not be as aware of the fact that Medair also does shelter (SHE) and health (HEA) work as well in the Rohingya camps. The Shelter team recently posted these two pictures of a widowed woman whose shelter they rehabilitated. Widows can be fairly marginalized in the western world too. But imagine being this woman - widowed with 3 children under the age of 12, trying to make a go of it in the largest refugee camp in the world! She needed a hand! And the Medair SHE team gave her one! 

James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress,...." This feels like a pretty direct answer to that Biblical injunction on how we should care for widows and orphans!

Most of the SHE team's work involves empowering (through training and provision of the necessary supplies) the refugees to do their own shelter rehabilitation. But as this woman fell into the category of an EVI (Especially Vulnerable Individual) and had no relatives to help her build the house, the SHE team was able to do the work for her. 

As this woman's well-being has been improved by the provision of this new shelter, we pray that she would also experience God's shalom in every area of her life!

After the SHE team's work!

Praise for: 

• obtaining new visas (for us as well as our Country Director)
• restarting work well again after our time off!
• the opportunity to serve widows and orphans
• protection of our immediate family members from the virus and ongoing employment for our kids (thus far!)
• the work of our SHE staff!

 Prayer for: 

• the SHE team getting permission from the Camp-in-Charge (CiC) to work in Camp 12 - this authorization has been hung up in beaucratic red tape since the beginning of the year
• the NUT work in Camp 23 where relocation of all the refugees out of the camp is happening (calling into question our work there)
• continued good health for Christine and I
• ongoing protection of NGO staff and refugees from the virus

An already tenuous existence gets more ambiguous

 You have no doubt seen news of the coup in Myanmar. And you probably saw news about Rohingya refugees going to Basan Char island in the last month. Even the major news medias have had these on their headlines. 

This article describes well some of the emotional challenges that the Rohingya go through by virtue of being stateless and living in the largest refugee camp in the world (not to mention the trauma-filled life they have lived). Fortify Rights is one of the foremost human rights organizations in the region. That articles also gives some idea of how one could advocate for the Rohingyas through one's governmental officials. 

Under the rubric: when you feel
like crying, it's good to laugh
 (link)

These are some of the challenges that the Rohingya look towards as they stare squarely in the face an
uncertain future. It is helpful for us to understand some of these challenges. 

Then this week added a new dynamic to the situation that the refugees face - an overthrow of the "civilian governement" in Myanmar by the military. The government here had been negotiating strongly with this civilian government for the repatriation of the Rohingya back to Myanmar. This coup calls all of that negotiation into question and reminds the Rohingya (as if they needed reminding) who is really in charge in Myanmar. 

The refugees themselves have a rather varied response to this coup, as this article explains. There has certainly been no love lost between the the government of Aung San Suu Kyi and the Rohingya since her justification of the atrocities committed against them in Myanmar. 

Unquestionably the coup does, however, simply contribute to the ambiguity of the life that the Rohingya live - both in the refugee camps of BGD and around the world! So your support to them is, as always, greatly appreciated!

Praise for: 

• a good finish to 2020 and great beginning to 2021!
• Juwel embracing his new role as Logs Manager (he was Deputy Logs Manager under me), and making some very positive changes to the team!
• some rest and relaxation for Christine and I - we are very thankful for it after working weird hours in the US and a full load of work since returning to BGD.
• Phil's unrivaled good health over the last 4 months.

 Prayer for: 

• the Rohingya and their well-being (spiritually, emotionally, materially - that in all aspects of their life they may the know God's shalom)
• our visa process - we have sent our passports to the embassy in the US, and are in discussion with them about requirements. 
• God's Justice to roll like a river, and God's Righteousness like an ever-flowing stream in the lives of the Rohingya around the world!