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The United Nations has warned that thousands of Rohingya youth surviving in refugee camps in Bangladesh are at risk of becoming a "lost generation". A handful of Rohingya teachers are using it to make sure that this sad fate does not happen.
"We are trying the best possible way to give a future to our children who live in miserable conditions in the camps," says Khin Maung, a teacher.
He is a 24-year-old Rohingya who has been living in the Thayin Khali refugee camp in eastern Bangladesh for the past two years.
He fled his home village of Kyauk Chaung, in the state of Arakan, Myanmar, because of persecutions of the Burmese army and local officials.
More than one million Rohingyas live in refugee camps in Bangladesh, near the border with Myanmar. They fled burning villages, mbad killings and what they call genocide perpetrated by the Myanmar regime.
According to the United Nations, there are approximately 550,000 children under the age of 18 living in camps, of whom about 300,000 are aged between 3 and 14 years.
Khin Maung was working as a physics teacher in Myanmar when he had to leave his hometown to seek refuge in neighboring Bangladesh.
In refugee camps in eastern Bangladesh, Khin Maung joined the Free Rohingya Coalition. Alongside 80 volunteer teachers, they decided to partner and provide a form of education to young children and teens.
"Education is a basic human right. Without this, no one could hope for a better life. Everyone needs basic knowledge, "says Khin Maung.
He added that there were only enough learning institutions in the camps to accommodate 145,000 children, leaving thousands of others stranded.
Six days a week, about one thousand children follow the curriculum in Burmese, which includes English, Burmese, history, geography, mathematics and science.
"It is very important to educate our children living in refugee camps in Bangladesh," says Khin Maung. "We are survivors of the genocide. We must ensure that our children have a future and that they are not trapped in criminal activities in the camps.
Khin Maung fears that without proper education, children will be drawn into prostitution or drug trafficking.
Teachers do not have good facilities to teach children. They only have a few textbooks and, if possible, download teaching materials. They use various tents in the Thayin Khali and Kutupalong camps to educate children, including those who house mosques.
There are no tables in the tents where they teach. Children crouch or sit cross-legged on the floor. Khin Maung and his friends have no partnership with the UN or with local NGOs. They receive support and funds from individuals and small NGOs.
"Today, one in four children in the world lives in a country affected by conflict or disaster. Nearly 50 million children have been uprooted from their homes because of violence, poverty or natural disasters, "reads in the annual report of UNICEF.
Two months ago, on April 2, 2019, the United Nations launched a new campaign, ACT to protect children affected by conflict. It lasts until 2022 and aims to strengthen the protection of young people in armed conflict.
Follow Khin Maung on Twitter @ RoKhinMaung4
Follow Zeenat Hansrod on Twitter @zxnt
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