Across the small yard stands the humble adobe home of Salima (42), where she lives with her husband Abdul Gafur (55) and three children: Ayesha (22), Yasmin (18), and Rahim (17). The family’s bustling daily activities are vividly visible across the yard.
As Salima was feeding their goats with grass, her husband Abdul and son Rahim returned home from work. Both father and son work as daily laborers, yet their earnings barely cover the family’s expenses after paying most of it to their creditor.
“A few years ago, my elder daughter Ayesha experienced a severe road accident that required several operations. Unfortunately, she never regained her ability to walk. We had to sell our grocery shop and other belongings to cover her medical expenses. Now we are impoverished,” Abdul recounts.
The accident stripped away the family’s hopes and livelihoods. Additionally, the children had to drop out of school. Even Rahim, the youngest son, joined his father in working to provide for the family.
The story of Salima’s family in a borderline village of Ratna Palong union in Ukhiya sub-district of Cox’s Bazar is not unique in their community. According to the Joint Multi-Sectoral Need Assessment (J-MSNA) 2023, Cox’s Bazar district is characterized by some of the poorest living conditions in the country, with approximately 33% of its population living below the poverty line, mostly in rural communities (78%) that are quite isolated and thus have difficult access to basic services.
With the refugee population of around one million being almost double the host community population in Ukhiya and Teknaf, the massive increase in population density following the influx, coupled with the pre-existing lack of livelihoods and levels of poverty and vulnerability among the host community population, has led to tensions over labor competition, falling wages, and price hikes of daily essentials.
Joining Forces for Child Protection in Emergencies (JF-CPiE), is implementing a humanitarian assistance and humanitarian action project abroad aimed at improving protection of vulnerable girls and boys through strengthened prevention and risk mitigation efforts and access to specialized child protection response services. This project extends across four Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and includes the host community areas of two particularly vulnerable unions: Ratna Palong and Palongkhali in the Ukhiya sub-district.
While addressing child protection issues in these particular areas, one of the most remarkable interventions is the provision of Cash Voucher Assistance (CVA) to families. This approach empowers caregivers by building their capacity to address the protection needs of vulnerable children and to diminish the factors that contribute to child protection risks.
In alignment with the project’s objectives, 231 households from the most vulnerable communities, such as Salima’s, are provided with Cash Voucher Assistance (CVA) to boost their family’s livelihoods, thereby reinforcing their capabilities and concurrently addressing child protection necessities.
“When I was registered for this assistance, I was very hopeful upon hearing about the cash. I was thinking of investing the money into something profitable,” says Salima.
Salima invested half of the money into purchasing a goat, aiming to contribute to their family’s livelihood and alleviate poverty. The goat has become a beacon of hope for this distressed family, and they consider it a significant member of their household.
“She is currently pregnant and will give birth in a few days. I consider her very lucky for my family. With her production, I hope to establish a livestock farm that can bring good money to my family,” Salima adds.
The remaining money was invested in borrowing land to plant rice this year. “Since we sold our land, we had to buy every food item from the market, which was very expensive. But with the money this year, we planned to grow rice. I hope we will have enough rice to meet the family’s needs until the next season. Additionally, I intend to sell some rice and save the money to grow rice again in the next season,” Abdul says with determination.
“We wish to provide better treatment for our daughter. To achieve that, we need to save money. By selling the goats, we hope to ensure her medical care,” say the parents.
“I want to find a job to support my family. I’ve heard that many people with disabilities are employed nowadays. Some skill-building training would be beneficial for me,” Ayesha says hopefully.
They named the goat “Sumi” after the day she was brought home. They believe that Sumi is a token of hope for their family and will bring prosperity along with her.
This publication was produced with the financial support of the German Humanitarian Assistance
Its contents are the sole responsibility of Joining Forces and do not necessarily reflect the views of the German Humanitarian Assistance.