By Dr. Maryam Molla, Field Coordinator, Bangladesh
August 25, 2019
On our way to the clinic today we witnessed hundreds of people walking in a line, going towards Camp 4 extension. From our clinic at the top of a hill, we could see nearly 30,000 people gathered on hills bordering Camp 4 extension.
On our way to the clinic today we witnessed hundreds of people walking in a line, going towards Camp 4 extension. From our clinic at the top of a hill, we could see nearly 30,000 people gathered on hills bordering Camp 4 extension.
I walked into the clinic this morning to find somber expressions on the staff’s faces. When I asked how everyone was, they answered “we are good in health but sad in our hearts. This day brings back memories of what happened to us two years ago.”
Standing in a crowd of people on the foot of a hill, I watched the Rohingya community congregate and pray for their loved ones who were lost two years ago, on this day, to genocide, rape, and incarceration. Many people around me had tears in their eyes and were overcome with emotion. It was a humbling experience and also a reminder for why we the work we do.
Over 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar in 2017, following what is dubbed by the United Nations as ethnic cleansing and genocide of Rohingya by the Burmese military. In addition to the pre-existing 300,000 Rohingya already residing in Bangladesh, this mass exodus created what is now the world’s largest refugee camp with 1.24 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Two years following the influx the Rohingya continue to live in camps.
MedGlobal has continued to stand by the Rohingya since the influx through the provision of free medical health services delivered through International and national health care professionals.