Rohingya Refugee Crisis

On October 18, 2017, I travelled to the Rohingya refugee camp and went to the farthest accessible point at the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Twenty thousand refugees on the other side have been waiting for entry into the camp for several days now without proper access to food, water, sanitation or medicines - it is estimated that half of them are children. Some have travelled for almost two weeks just to get there, leaving behind their burned villages, and family members which have been murdered.

In the camp I spoke to some young boys whose parents were killed, and many others who didn't expect to ever see their families again. Many times I had to hold back tears as I witnessed the suffering all around me: thousands of people waiting in long lines for meager food rations, mothers with a deep look of despair in their eyes, children holding naked babies in their arms. Other volunteers and Rohingya natives I met shared images of young men carrying the sick and elderly on their backs for miles, videos of their home villages destroyed, stories of boats full of refugees that capsized and never made it. Some were seen walking into the camp carrying dead children or relatives in their arms.

Somehow despite all of this trauma, you could see the emotional and mental strength and resilience of these people, which is absolutely incredible. While most would break down under such circumstances, many are working together to build their makeshift homes, to cook and care for each other, to show love and compassion to their neighbors.

I'm raising funds to support the direct purchase and distribution of essential food, supplies, medicines and female dignity kits. Please contribute whatever you can and please share this message with other members of your community. Together we can make a difference.

Sincerely,
Adam Ostaszewski