At fourteen, Sofaida has already faced unimaginable hurdles in her life.
In 2017, Rohingya refugees like her fled violence in Myanmar to seek safety in Bangladesh. Living in difficult and overcrowded conditions in Cox’s Bazar, many people were entirely dependent on humanitarian aid to survive. Even now, seven years later, death and injuries from large-scale fires, flooding, and rising violence and dangerous conditions are constant threats. Unable to work or access formal education opportunities, Rohingya people living in Cox’s Bazar remain stateless and unprotected, living their lives in limbo.
As a young child, Sofaida was unable to walk without assistance. After arriving in Cox’s Bazar with her family, she initially enrolled in a learning centre within the camp. Each day, her father would carry her to class. But when she hit adolescence, her family stopped taking her to the learning centre due to their cultural beliefs. That, coupled with COVID-19 which led to the pause of activities at the centre, kept Sofaida out of the classroom for years.
Fortunately, in 2022, Sofaida was able to enroll in Save the Children’s Community-Based Learning Facility.
“I like coming here. After enrolling in the Community-Based Learning Facility, I learned poetry, word making, my ABCs and many other things.”
Unlike other learning centres – which are for both girls and boys, and 10-15 minutes from students’ homes – the Community-Based Learning Facilities are a short 1-3 minute walk from students’ homes and are only for girls.
Classes are also led by female Bangladeshi and Rohingya teachers. This learning environment and new approach has made all the difference for Sofaida’s family and countless other parents in the camp, who now feel reassured that they can safely send their daughters there to study. As a result, more adolescent girls across the camp are learning and building critical life skills while receiving the support they need to thrive.
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)
.jpeg?auto=webp)