As winter unfolds, more than 620,000 Rohingya refugees are encountering freezing temperatures. Most of them are surviving in tents or makeshift shelters at the Bangladeshi borders with little infrastructure to support them.
They are in dire need of blankets and winter clothing in addition to adequate healthcare, medicine and other essentials while preparing for their journey back home.
In its official page, UNHCR declared that in this environment, refugees face a multitude of protection risks. The monsoon season in southern Bangladesh has now ended and temperatures will soon decline; the average low for January is 15 degrees Celsius. While that temperature is moderate compared to many other regions, the lack of adequate clothing and shelter insulation makes refugees vulnerable to even modest declines in temperatures, especially at night.
Children, who are 55 per cent of the Rohingya refugee population, are particularly vulnerable. So are the women and they represent more than half of all refugees in Bangladesh. An estimated ten percent are either disabled, have serious medical conditions or older persons at risk.
Click here to find Muslim relief organizations through which you can donate and support the Rohingya Muslims.