Voices of a generation
Rohingya and Bangladeshi adolescents share hopes for their communities
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For over three years, 860,000 Rohingya refugees have been forced to live in Bangladesh after fleeing violence and persecution in Myanmar. More than half of these refugees are children and adolescents. Settling in Cox’s Bazar, some are living in refugee camps whilst others are being hosted in the Bangladeshi community.
Without access to formal education or the proper spaces and opportunities to explore their identities as they grow, many of these refugee children are being left behind at risk of becoming a lost generation. Providing them with safe spaces where they have the freedom to read, write, play and explore their creative sides is of vital importance.
To address these concerns, UNICEF has established several social hubs dedicated to the growth and skills development of adolescents from Rohingya and host communities while fostering social cohesion between these communities. This selection of poems and drawings from Rohingya and Bangladeshi adolescents, who attend the social hubs, depict their hopes for their communities.
Omar, 16-year-old
Rohingya community
Omar, a 16-year-old living in the refugee camps, is a regular member of a social hub near his home. Omar likes to spend his free time at the hub reading story books, and writing. He writes poems often and reflects on his three years in Bangladesh as a refugee:
Fleeing the homeland
No roof to take refuge
Being blurred the way to home
No face to see
No word to speak
No ground to play
Humans helped humans
Million thanks aren’t enough
Billion prayers aren’t adequate
Having no paddle
Can’t find any shores
Uncountable helping hands
Pulled me to the shores
Now I have a roof
Faces with welcoming smiles
Words to speak
Pens to write
Songs to sing
Now I am a player general
The way to home becomes brighter
“When we came to Bangladesh, I lost all my books. I could not read anything for a very long time,” shares Omar, “and when I heard that this place had a library I had to come. Now, I spend all the time I can in the library, reading.”
Hossain, 17-year-old
Bangladeshi community
Hossain wants to pursue his art as a career after he graduates from school. At his social hub, he practices his drawing daily because it brings him peace. His skill allows him to dream big for the future.
“One day I would like to open an art school,” says Hossain, “where I can teach other children to draw as a hobby. I think it is a good practice for everyone to have, no matter who you are.”
Yasina, 15-year-old
Bangladeshi community
Yasina, is a 15-year-old Bangladeshi member of a social hub where she has made some friends with girls quickly from Rohingya community over the past year. They exchange stories about their lives often. The Rohingya girls find it easy to confide in someone like Yasina, about their struggles and the homeland they miss every day.
“I know how much pain my friends have been through,” says Yasina, “their people have been through a lot. I can’t imagine being forced to leave Bangladesh for even a day, and they have been away from their home for three years. It’s very painful to even think about.”
Yasina‘s resolve to contributing to social cohesion between both the communities comes directly from these connections she has formed at the social hub. This has also inspired her to write a poem dedicated to her Rohingya friends.
Home is where the heart is
Every time she thinks,
she will have a good dream,
the suffering appears before my eyes;
eagles fly at the snap of the finger,
dead river, sad grey, barren land, sand bed,
she cannot dream any longer.
Every time she tries to write a pure poem,
she remembers those bloody beaches.
She hears the sun cry.
Only a sky full of pain.
Her mind becomes crowded,
and she remembers her country.
When will she be able to return to her country?
These thoughts don’t let her sleep.
Her heart cries out for her country.
What else can she do? She can’t return to her country.
She sits silently.
No matter how happy she is in Bangladesh,
her heart still longs to go back to her own country.
She had so much in that country.
Barn full of cows, granary full of wheat.
She had to run for her life and flee to Bangladesh
but she left her heart in her own country.
That is why I say, “Home is where the heart is.”
Disclaimer: Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
This UNICEF programme supported by the European Union Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) aims to enhance peaceful co-existence among adolescents and youth, to strengthen social cohesion and bridge gaps between Rohingya and Bangladeshi communities. You can download a digital brochure and poster of the project here.
This publication was produced with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of UNICEF and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
