The Fire

Fire service making its way to the scene

 You cannot imagine how gratifying it was to receive emails of concern and solidarity from Minnesota, Canada, South Africa, Madagascar, Illinois, Ohio, Colorado and Indiana - the first one from South Africa within 10 minutes of sending out the email! And we know that many others joined in prayer. We join you in believing that the prayers of God's people change things in the heavenly realm as they overturn realities on earth! Thank you for your prayers for the Rohingya (as you will see, we still need them)! As we were receiving these expressions of solidarity from you, we were also receiving news that the fires were being brought under control. 

The news is not good. This is what we know:

1. There was a response from the Bangladeshi fire servce, thankfully!
2. As we were writing the email, we were receiving news of deaths of adults and children. Those numbers will only become clear today, and in the days to come. There was loss of life.
3. I was messaged the image of an incinerated child which must be making its way around social media.
4. We heard news that the new fence put up was deterring people from safeguarding their meager possessions. 
5. At least these facilities, who cared for the Rohingya, have been lost to the fire: an IOM (International Organization for Migration) Primary Health Care facility, MSF (Médecins sans Frontière) clinic, a PHD health post in Camp 17, Turkish hospital, Camp 8E and Camp 10 LP gas distribution posts (for LP gas that is given to the Rohingya for cooking purposes).
6. We understand that LP gas canisters have some sort of venting system that would keep them from exploding (this is to be confirmed). At one point the logistics cluster was putting out an urgent message to remove oxygen tanks from health facilities in the path of the fire. We pray that was able to happen. 
7. A rapid assessment team was able to make it into Camp 8E by 8:30 pm. Here is their assessment:
8. 

1. The fire spread beyond the camps into surrounding areas. We know of two Medair Bangladeshi nutrition employees who lost their homes which were just outside the camp limits. 

   

   A map of the mega-camp with an estimated population

2. It remains to be see if all fires are yet under control. 
3. There was a massive migration of people from affected areas in the camps to unaffected areas (they could not move outside the camp because of the fence, I presume). The rebuilding process will be immense.
4. There has been a call to reassure refugees that documents attesting to their refugee status, and giving them access to services, will be reissued as many may have been lost to the fire. This is part of the loss for them. 
5. All our Medair shelter staff were able to get out of camp 8E safely.
6. All our Medair nutrition staff are safe and accounted for. 
7. The Medair Mobile Medical Team (MMT - part of our health team) is standing by for deployment (with many other teams which were being mobilized last evening), and the Medair ambulance is ready to serve as well.
8. The Medair SHE team will be leaving Cox's Bazar within 1.5 hours to go to camp 8E where they are the emergency shelter focal point. 

There is much more we simply don't know at this point. 

This morning we join our voices in lament with our Hebrew

A view of the devastation

ancestors in the faith and with the Rohingya who must also be expressing such sentiment: "1 ¶  How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2  How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3  Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death…." (Psalm 13). May the God of all comfort be the consolation of this people, the Rohingya in the camps, who are declared non-people in their homeland and who suffer as refugees in this land, and across the world. May this God answer their wailing and their prayer, "How long?"

Pray for: 

• the consolation of a people for whom this suffering is simply stacked on top of a mound of other adversity and torment.
• for the Medair shelter and MMT teams to bring material, emotional and spiritual comfort as they deploy to these areas.
• the COVID-19 surge happening in Bangladesh (the vaccination campaign in the camps is due to start on the 27th of this month).
• those who lost family members, belongings, and the little documentation they were able to bring from Myanmar.
• all those responding to this crisis - they they will alleviate suffering and bring comfort.
• organizations who have lost facilities.
• that our upside-down God can bring good out of this bleak situation!
• for humanitarian aid workers and other Bangladeshi who have lost their homes to the fire, or been affected in other ways. 

We leave you with Psalm 90:

1 ¶  Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.

2  Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.

3  You turn us back to dust, and say, "Turn back, you mortals."

4  For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.

5  You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;

6  in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.

7 ¶  For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.

8  You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.

9  For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.

10  The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

11  Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.

12 ¶  So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.

13  Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!

14  Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

15  Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.

16  Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.

17  Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands— O prosper the work of our hands!

Bangladesh as a model for the US?

Christine ran across this article recently: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/10/opinion/biden-child-poverty-bangladesh.html

As someone who has worked to address child malnutrition her whole career this really affirms the importance of investing in children for Christine. She loves the ending quote from Kristof, the writer - 'Bangladesh reminds us that investing in marginalised children isn’t just about compassion, but about helping a nation soar'

I have no doubt that the Biden Rescue Plan would be contentious for more than a few readers of this blog. We agree with the writer of this article that childhood poverty in the US is a blemish on the face of US economic strength. And wouldn't it be amazing to cut childhood poverty in half in the US? This really should be a priority for the church as well, not leaving such initiative to government! 

The bridge built over the last year not far from our base

But the real reason we are bringing up this article is because of its mention of Bangladesh as a model for development. We are constantly amazed at the progress in Bangladesh (though our understanding of Bangladesh as a whole is pretty limited). This is where Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) was first invented, reducing mortality from diarrheal disease not only in Bangladesh, but quite literally, around the world for millions of people. The factor most directly connected to improving child malnutrition rates is education levels of girls/young women and Bangladesh has seen that improvement through their commitment to getting girls educated and gainfully employed as adults. 

We have been amazed as, over the last year, a formidable bridge was built over a stream that we cross when we go walking for recreation in the rice paddies not far from our base. Concrete footings were sunk into the bed of the stream. And it seems that this work was all done by hand using all local labor. Now people in this area have better access to markets for their products. And roads, big and small, are constantly being improved. Bangladesh has really made amazing progress, as Kristof points out. 

Our focus here is really the Rohingya. But Medair Bangladesh employs around 160 Bangladeshi staff for our work with the Rohingya. We rub shoulders with them every day. We pray together for the Rohingya (though we come from 4 different faith traditions). And Christine & I enjoy getting to know our Bangladeshi colleagues, and their country, better. 

 End of year party - female staff got matching blue saris to celebrate

It is possible for all of us to get jaded to the realities around us, and accept them as immutable. However, few things are, in fact, unchangeable. Bangladesh is showing us that. We pray that Bangladesh will continue to lead the way for change which happens all around the world! 

Praise for: 

• Small wins in getting permissions to continue our work in the camps (we have approval for all the Nutrition facilities)
• Phil's enjoyment of the challenges of the PC position and being able to contribute to the program as PC.

 Prayer for: 

• More small (and big!) wins in terms of approvals for our work 
• the SHE team has, thus far, only gotten permission to move ahead with 200 households (and only verbal permission) - please pray that hearts would be moved so these families living in housing that needs upgrading before the monsoon and cyclone seasons, can have access to this assistance. 
• The thousands of Rohingya refugees who have been moved to Basan Char island from the camps - the UN is doing an assessment this week - pray that this improves the situation for those moved there.
• A disabled boat off the coast of India full of Rohingya refugees that has not been rescued for 3 weeks! The situation of people on board has to be dire at this point. There is currently wrangling around where the refugees will be taken which is also hampering the rescue. 
• Like many other places in the world, we seem to be having a bit of a surge in COVID-19 cases here in BGD. You prayers for the sparing of the refugees, and the country as a whole, are greatly appreciated!

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!

When you know you have been a logistician too long....

 This morning I was musing, before getting out of bed, about whether or not the young man, Nurul Amin (who buys our food here at the base), had put the newest eggs on the top or bottom flat of eggs that we have stacked one on the other. When I got excited about the base assistant, Yasin, explaining the stock management principle of FEFO (first expired, first out) to Nurul Amin, it dawned on me that maybe I have been a logistician too long. And then I realized that this is the thought that came to mind even before the realization that it is Christmas morning in BGD....

I guess it might be ok to feel I have been a logistician too long as Medair has asked me to step into the position of Project Coordinator for the Bangladesh program. As Project Coordinator I will be involved in: 

1. Security Management - humanitarian aid organizations spend a good deal of time working at community acceptance, developing security protocols and planning evacuation routes. Security isn't as big an issue as in Afghanistan, as you might imagine, but it is still very important. 
2. 
   Project management - all our projects (like Christine's NUT project) work on a project management basis - I will oversee the implementation of different projects (we have three - health, shelter and nutrition) making sure (with the project managers - PMs) that we hit our indicators in the foreseen time frames and within budget. 
3. Financial management - maintain the base budget, plan budgets with the PMs and monitor spending.
4. Staff management - ensure that personnel related issues are carried out in accordance with Medair guidelines; ensure that staff receive adequate training; hold regular team meetings.
5. Quality management - ensure programmes are implemented  according to donor proposals and requirements as well as Medair, donor, country and international standards. Interface with advisors at HQ in this regard. Assess and provide feedback on the quality of our programming. 
6. Team Spiritual Life - encourage and contribute to the spiritual life of the team. 

I am looking forward to the challenges - but it will be demanding for me!

We had a wonderful and low-key Christmas here in Bangladesh. A week before Christmas we had a small gathering with the fellowship from this area. The picture above shows the hut on the roof of our building decked out with the lights that Bangladeshi use for all special occasions - weddings, circumcisions, and other ceremonies (and this is the season of celebrations after the rice harvest). We think of them as Christmas lights in the US - not so much here in Bangladesh. But it lent a particularly festive atmosphere to our Christmas gathering. 

Above all, we are thankful for the One who came in all vulnerability and lowliness, who was born of an unwed teenager, and who showed us how to live! We are thankful for the birth of our Savior again this year! May He continue to animate your celebrations and your lives!

Praise for: 

• The birth of the one who saved our necks!
• Lots of good work from the different teams - it has been an incredibly busy time since returning to Bangladesh
• The opportunity to be working where God has called us!

 Prayer for: 

• For the Rohingya to experience God's presence during this time when God re-reveals Himself again. 
• For a good finish to the year with all of its year-end activities.
• For the colleague who will be replacing me as logs manager. 

The marginalized get....

It is certainly a truism that in difficult times, the already marginalized simply get more marginalized. Unfortunately this is accurate for both the Rohingya and the Bangladeshi marginalized before COVID-19 seized our world. Their situation has worsened. 

This study by the Asia Foundation on Rohingya households in Bangladesh reports on some of that marginalization. Here are some of the striking statistics (all the graphics come from this study): 

1. While marginalization isn't limited to one's financial situation, finances do say something about marginalization (84 BDT = $1). Those of you reading this blog probably know someone who has been marginalized by COVID-19. Compare those people to the 95% of Rohingya households who say their savings amount to just under $60. And the gap between their income and expenses are basically that amount of money. 

2. Another aspect of marginalization is educational opportunity. As we have stated in the past, there are basically no educational opportunities in the camps. Unfortunately, this isn't new to the Rohingya. They were discriminated against in Myanmar in regards to educational opportunity as well. But one of the most disheartening aspects of their lives as a refugee for mothers and fathers is the lack of educational opportunity for their children. Nearly one in five Rohingya households in the camps have had no education at all. I guess education is a really tricky issue for children in the Western world these days as well, with COVID-19. But I don't personally know any families who have had no education whatsoever - no one in the family. 

3. Finally, family separation is another aspect of the marginalization of the Rohingya. The diaspora of Rohingya persons has them scattered around the world. And families are so fractured by this reality. Of course the remittances from family members around the world also help around 25% of Rohingya camp families to survive. So it can be seen as a strength, financially. But maybe we can relate a bit to family separation in this time of COVID-19. 

Were any of you unable to go be with family over Thanksgiving because of the surge? I suspect all of you know people who have had a family member in the hospital or a care facility who they couldn't visit. Maybe family separation is one of the areas where we can relate a bit more. 

The following story poignantly tells one Rohingya camp family's reality of family separation: 

As Amin, in the story above, say, he has no idea when he will see his sons again. And that may be the difference in the marginalization of the Rohingya from our own - they currently have little hope of alleviating any of these factors of marginalization in the short- or medium-term. And so we cry out to God for these people, marginalized by genocidal violence, discrimination and a refugee existence. Yet, made in the image of God - even as you and I. 

Please join us in prayer for the Rohingya

Praise for: 

• Christine joining me in Bangladesh in late October! The passport and visa processes are now a distant memory. 
• Respite from (at least the most egregious) violence in the camps - thanks for your prayers!
• Return to the same time zone as our staff!

 Prayer for: 

•  Safety for the Rohingya in the camps.
• The COVID-19 surge in the US and Western Europe at the time of writing this (the latter having one of the worst mortality rates due to the disease) - for action leading to the lessening of the toll of the disease. 
• For health care workers around the world giving of themselves to care for COVID-19 patients in trying circumstances. 

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.