Hope in an unlikely place: Jamila's story
18 Feb 21
Jamila, a twenty-two-year old single mother, lives in the world’s largest refugee camp in in Bangladesh. A Rohingya woman, she fled the armed conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State to save herself, her elderly mother and eight-month-old baby daughter. Having been abandoned by her husband, she faced life in the camp on her own.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people, have crossed into Bangladesh since August 2017. Over 1.3 million people remain in the densely populated camps, in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
Thanks to the generosity of Caritas Australia’s supporters and through our partnership with Caritas Bangladesh, Jamila has access to emergency food and shelter. During her time in the camp, Jamila also joined the Women Friendly Spaces project where she received counselling and emotional support. She learnt about health and hygiene, participated in a parenting program and learnt sewing skills, to help her to earn an income.
Jamila now has a sense of community around her and feels less alone and more supported - and she is able to ‘Be More’ to her family.
“I want to offer my thankful greetings to those who are kindly thinking of us from overseas”, Jamila says. “Thank you, and thanks Caritas Australia.”
Your support is lifesaving for people experiencing poverty and oppression. Please help more people like Jamila and improve the conditions for refugees around the world.