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“We had heard some horror stories about the attacks in Myanmar, but we hadn’t experienced any of it. We were worried, but we didn’t think they would come to our village. One day, I just heard people screaming and soon realised that they had started to burn up the homes in our village. It didn’t take long for them to get to our home. The whole village had to flee from one place to the other. About 500 people began the exhausting twelve-day journey to reach the riverbank. We put together all the food we could save and we shared it among the community. My sister was pregnant and lived in a nearby village. I didn’t have any news from her and I was thinking about her every day hoping that she had made it. After days of walking, I suddenly saw her. We were so happy to be reunited. On the 10th day, that small amount of food we had was gone. We were completely exhausted by the time we had to face the River Naf. The last challenge we had was to swim across the river to make it to the camp on the other side. I still don’t know how did we make it. We were so relieved to feel safe again. We get to start over. Unfortunately, I lost my sister when she was giving birth to her daughter. I adopted my niece, but I had to rely on powdered milk for her, which was rarely available and very expensive. It was heart-breaking to see her getting smaller and smaller. She became malnourished and was finally admitted to the hospital. From there, she was sent to Concern’s nutrition centre, where her health started to improve. Since the programme started, she gained over a kilo in weight and her health is improving too.”
Reshma was one of the thousands who fled Rakhine State. She and her family found safety in Cox’s Bazaar, but life has never been the same. This September, on World Peace Day, you can show your support and Step In Their Shoes. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3hc87Fj
This post was highlighted by Concern Worldwide.