World Bank approves $165m grant to help Rohingyas in Bangladesh

bdnews24.com

News Desk, bdnews24.com
Published: 09 Mar 2019

 

 

The World Bank or WB has approved a $165 million grant to help Bangladesh provide basic services and build disaster and social resilience for the Rohingyas who fled violence in Myanmar and sought shelter in Cox’s Bazar.

This is the third in a series of planned financings of approximately half a billion dollars announced by the WB in June 2018.

Earlier, the World Bank had committed to provide a $75m grant for the health and learning needs of the Rohingyas.

The Emergency Multi-Sector Rohingya Crisis Response Project will help Bangladesh cope with the world’s fastest growing exodus, where the Rohingyas outnumber the local community more than three-fold in the Teknaf and Ukhiya Upazila, the World Bank said in a statement.

The project will help build and rehabilitate basic infrastructure, improve community resilience and help prevent gender-based violence, including building a water supply system comprising of community standpoints, rainwater harvesting, and piped water supply systems as well as improve sanitation facilities.

The project will also build and improve multipurpose cyclone shelters, roads, footpaths, drains, culverts, bridges and install solar street lights inside the camps.

“Bangladesh has shown great generosity by sheltering and providing for a nearly a million Rohingya people, despite its own development challenges,” said Dandan Chen, WB Acting Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.

“The influx has placed enormous pressure on local infrastructure, services and public resources. This project will contribute to improving basic public infrastructure and living conditions in the congested camp. Moreover, through our existing and new projects, we are helping the local population.”

The Rohingyas are living in extremely congested conditions in Cox Bazar, an area that is prone to weather shocks, the World Bank said.

The project will respond to natural disaster shocks and gender-based violence through strengthened government systems. The project service deliveries will focus on women and children, including interventions to prevent gender-based violence. Water and sanitation facilities will target women, children and disabled individuals and the street lights will contribute to better safety.

“More than half of the Rohingya population are women and girls and before coming to Bangladesh they were exposed to gender-based violence and now are at risk,” said Swarna Kazi, WB team leader for the project.

“In this project, all facilities are designed as women-friendly. Cyclone shelters and water and sanitation facilities will cater to the needs of women and children and the street lights will ensure better safety. The project will also have gender-friendly spaces and community services will be targeted at women and adolescent girls.”

The World Bank is helping the host communities with about $200 million support in Cox’s Bazar through ongoing projects: disaster preparedness including building and rehabilitating cyclone shelters; improving basic infrastructures and governance in union councils, pourashabhas, and municipal areas; social protection; and, collaborative forest management and income generation opportunities for the host communities.



Link: https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2019/03/09/world-bank-approves-165m-grant-to-help-rohingyas-in-bangladesh