BANGLADESH

Ayaz* is a 15-year-old teenager living in a cramped, single room house in one of the largest refugee camps in the world – Cox’s Bazar – in Bangladesh. He lives with his mother as well as his five younger siblings. His father passed away six years ago and, as a result, his mother became the sole provider of the family. Over the past five months, Ayaz* and his family have had multiple reductions in their food rations – first from $12.00 USD to $10.00 USD and second from $10.00 USD to $8.00 USD. These USD amounts are per person per month. The family used to be able to purchase food products such as chicken, beef, fish, apples, and oranges. Nowadays, however, the family is limited to purchasing food staples like rice and oil. Mostly, Ayaz*s mother prepares potato soup. Occasionally, she must rely on the kindness of neighbours to borrow ingredients for cooking too. Ayaz*s mother, Farijan Begum*, worries about the health of her children due to this lack of food. Her worries are valid as, sometimes, Ayaz* forgoes eating to ensure that his younger siblings are fed. As the oldest sibling, Ayaz* tries his best to fill the void left by his father by conversing with his younger siblings to keep their spirits high and by helping out around the house by way of doing household work. However, this responsibility weighs heavily on the 15-year-old boy and he often feels stressed as a result. As a way of negating this stress, Ayaz* finds comfort playing with his friends. Looking forward, Ayaz* dreams of becoming a doctor. He wants to be able to provide for his family so that affording basic necessities like food and clothing isn’t a struggle. How is Save the Children helping? Directly in front of the family’s house, Save the Children runs a Multi-Purpose Child and Adolescent Centre (MPCAC). Here, Ayaz* and his siblings attend activities, meetings, and sessions – such as planting trees, taking part in art competitions, and raising awareness about child marriage – alongside other children who live in the refugee camp. In 2018, Ayaz* began studying at a Learning Centre implemented by Young Power in Social Action (YPSA), which is a Save the Children partner organisation. He completed studying up to Level Three, which is equivalent to completing a Bangladeshi education up to grade five. Now, Ayaz* is waiting / hoping to enter the scaled-up Myanmar Curriculum (MC) system that was implemented in Cox’s Bazar in June 2022. This new MC system is equivalent to completing a Bangladeshi education up to grade 10. In addition, the family lives nearby a Health Post that’s supported by Save the Children. This is where they receive medical support if needed. Saddam Hosen / Save the Children