Mapim provides much needed assistance to desperate Rohingya

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh: Mohd Syukri Shaari's heart broke when he saw a Rohingya mother feeding grass to her child, a toddler, in order to survive at a refugee camp here.
The 34-year-old volunteer with the Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organisation (Mapim), said the scene he had witnessed last September at the Thankali Refugee Camp, an unofficial camp here, was something he can never forget.
"The conditions were really pathetic in the camp. The mother, Summayah, in her early 20s, had no choice but to cut the grass growing near her tent, using some bamboo and plastic. She then cooked the grass and fed it to her son, Yahaya, who was two years (old) and very frail and did not understand what was happening to them," he told Bernama at the Bhalukali Camp, here.
Mohd Syukri said according to Summayah, her husband was murdered and their home in Maungdaw town in North Rakhine was burnt down by the Myanmar army.
"Summayah managed to escape with her son, bringing with her a calf, but when she reached the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, she had to give it up in exchange for the fare for her and her son to cross the Teknaf River in Bangladesh and reach the refugee camp where she could get protection."

Mohd Syukri who has been assigned to several camps in Cox's Bazar for the last three months said the fare for crossing the river was 82 Taka (RM4), but sampan operators there took advantage of the high demand to over-charge for as much as 6,140 Taka (RM300).
"The refugees had no choice, either they pay or cross the river themselves, using empty barrels as floats. However, Summayah's plight, as well as that of other ethnic Rohingyas has improved with the help of the Malaysian government, through Mapim and other non-governmental organisations which are working to help them."
It is estimated that more than 621,000 Rohingyas from the state of Rakhine, Myanmar, have sought refuge in Bangladesh following attacks by the Myanmar army on civilians since Aug 25, claiming that they were fighting armed militants.
Meanwhile, Mapim vice-president Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman said the Malaysian government and public had contributed 322 shelter homes, 22 schools, 127 clean water bases and 22,455 packets of food to the refugees.
Ahmad Tarmizi said he hoped the contributions would continue to help the Rohingya people. — Bernama