I have often mentioned how grateful I am for the NHS and even with the current governments cuts to equipment and services it still is one of the best institutions in the world. Yet as a mom with a child with a very complex disability I cannot imagine or bear to think about if he had been born in a country that didn’t have access to such a health service or if he was one of the many refuges fleeing their homes to escape violence.

Right now hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees are living in overcrowded, makeshift camps. Food and medical care are in short supply and the threat of disease is constant. The situation for many people with disabilities in the camps is desperately challenging.

“Rohingya crisis – humanitarian emergency

To escape brutal violence in Myanmar, over 850,000 Rohingya refugees have fled across the border into Bangladesh.

The Rohingya people are an ethnic Muslim group who settled in Myanmar many generations ago. But in 2014 the authorities retracted their citizenship, sparking a regime of oppression.

The speed and scale of the crisis has led to a critical humanitarian emergency. Refugees were forced to flee with very few possessions and many arrived in Bangladesh with nothing.”

 

This situation in itself is very frightening but imagine not being able to walk, communicate or understand what is happening to you.

This is 3 year old Haris, he is younger than my Daniel but what he has had to face is more than most adults could handle. His family had to leave their home when neighbouring villages were burned. His disability makes walking difficult, to get around, to use the toilet or to do what all 3 years olds should be able to do, play with his friends. He now lives with his family in one of the refugee camps in a tiny shelter made from bamboo and plastic sheeting.

Thankfully Haris is receiving support from the amazing charity

But more like Haris are in great need.

Meet Abul, he is 60 years old he was a farmer. He arrived in the refugee camp with nothing, fleeing his home when violence erupted. Abul has a visual and hearing impairment and found adapting to life in the unfamiliar, chaotic environment extremely difficult.

“We left everything behind and fled for our lives empty handed….[arriving in the camp] I was in a lot of trouble as I could not see or hear properly. I couldn’t understand what people were saying.”

I cannot imagine what Haris and his family has faced, what Abul has faced and what thousands of others are facing right now. What I can do is support CBM with a donation so that people like Haris and Abul can get the support they so need. I can also ask you to do the same, please consider joining me and supporting the overseas disability charity today.