Following the outbreak of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State in 2017, more than 740,000 people initially fled to seek refuge in Cox’s Bazar District of Bangladesh. The conditions in the refugee and makeshift camps, which are mainly located in the vicinity of the south-eastern coastal town of Cox's Bazar, are extremely difficult. The humanitarian needs are enormous and people are entirely reliant on humanitarian assistance regarding shelter, basic services, food, water, and protection. The already challenging conditions were further exacerbated by fires in early 2023 where reconstruction was not completed prior to Cyclone Mocha.

On 14 May 2023, Cyclone Mocha struck the coastal areas near the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. The heavy rains and strong winds led to landslides, as well as damage and destruction to homes and facilities in all 33 Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and neighbouring Bangladeshi communities. While the eye of the Cyclone missed Bangladesh, close to 40,000 Rohingya refugees had their shelters - made of bamboo and tarpaulin - damaged or destroyed. In total, 8,063 shelters were damaged across the 33 camps. As such, there is an urgent need to reinforce preparedness capacity ahead of the monsoon season, as well as to build back better with weather and fire-resistant materials that is so critical in saving lives.

Outcome 1: Provide safe and dignified living conditions to reduce suffering and increase resilience and provide life-saving emergency Shelter / Non-Food Items support to households affected by the cyclone  Mocha and other shocks for refugees and the host community living adjacent to camps.

Outcome 2: Simulation on Cyclone Preparedness and Monsoon.

Principaux résultats attendus:  

Output 1: Rehabilitation and reinforcement of refugee shelters using weather- and fire-resistant materials. 

Output 2: Organize the cyclone simulation in the targeted camps and host community with the support of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR) to raise awareness on cyclones preparedness.

• Site Management and Site Development Sector 
• SDC projects in Cox’s Bazar
• SDC-UNHCR Secondment 

Phase 1 15.06.2023 - 15.11.2023   (Completed)