Young Rohingya refugees find hope in friendship

Tasmin Ara, Mustakima, Nur Akter, and Showkat Atu arrived at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, a year ago.

The girls, all of whom are 10 with the exception of 12-year-old Showkat Atu, have developed a system for surviving Kutupalong: They make friends with every new girl who’s forced to call the world’s largest refugee camp her home.

“It is hard when you first arrive, so we help by sharing food and clothes,” Mustakima recently told Plan International, a child rights and humanitarian organization that provides services in Kutupalong. (Plan Internernational identified the girls, who participate in the nonprofit’s programs, by only their first names.)

“We never eat alone,” said Tasmin Ara. “We eat every meal together, no matter what!”

The girls live with nearly a million Rohingya Muslim refugees who began fleeing state-sanctioned violence and religious persecution in neighboring Myanmar a year ago. With no end in sight to the crisis, girls like Tasmin Ara, Mustakima, Nur Akter, and Showkat Atu are finding hope in their improbable friendships. 

Families typically keep girls from leaving their living quarters and going out into the camp by themselves, and even women avoid doing basic things alone like collecting water or using the toilet and shower. Fears of sexual violence and unsafe camp conditions, combined with cultural norms, mean that girls are often constantly confined to their tent shelters. There are few schools, learning centers, or child-friendly spaces.

“Conditions in the camps are much better than they were a year ago, but we speak to girls every day and they all say the same thing,” Orla Murphy, Plan International’s country director in Bangladesh, said in a statement. “They all want to get an education, to earn a living, to gain more independence and to contribute to their communities, but there are far too few opportunities for them to do this at the moment.”

That’s why friendship plays such a central role in the girls’ lives and their ability to cultivate resilience in the face of extreme trauma and hardship.

The above and following images, captured by photographer KM Asad and commissioned by Plan International, illustrate just how essential friendship can be for Rohingya girls trying to navigate their new lives.

Top: Nearly a million refugees live in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Many parents fear for their daughters’ safety in the camp. Bottom: Bibi Jan, 13, far left, and her friends Gulsan, 18, Minara Begum, 15, and Ruhima, 16.

Plan International / KM Asad

Top: Khurshida, Rahina, Nur Kayeda, and Tasmina play together as monsoon clouds loom in the background. Bottom: Nur Hasina (left), 12, Mohesena, 13, and Samira, 11.

Plan International / KM Asad