AHP support to livelihoods in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

Above: Tohura, 27, is rearing pigeons to support her family’s livelihoods after support from Mukti Cox’s Bazar and Oxfam through the AHP response. Photo: AHP Bangladesh Consortium

Livelihoods training, cash grants and market linkages for the host community, and cash for work opportunities for Rohingya refugees, are enabling families to increase their income and strengthen their resilience in Bangladesh.

Context

Earning an income is a considerable challenge for many people in both camp and host communities in Cox’s Bazar. Rohingya refugees find it difficult to earn an income due to restriction on work rights in Bangladesh. Poverty, low levels of education and a lack of resources all create barriers to pathways to employment in host communities. Women and people with disabilities face additional barriers due to stigma and harmful stereotypes.

During the recent site visits for the evaluation of the AHP Phase III response, Rohingya refugees raised dependence on food rations from the World Food Programme (WFP) and recent reductions in funding as an additional concern. One respondent described the impact that poverty has on their family: “There is no income in our camp, so there are regular quarrels in our family, because we are not able to meet our needs with the food that we get from WFP. As a result, there is scarcity and chaos.” Family income also has a direct correlation with child marriage and child labour.

Impact

AHP partners’ cash for work schemes in both camp and host communities provide opportunities for families to earn income. Marginalised groups, such as women-headed households and people with disabilities are targeted for these opportunities. One man with a disability described his participation as a unique opportunity, “If disaster risk reduction jobs were not there for people with disabilities, we would be confined at home and not able to go out. Disaster risk reduction gave me the opportunity to earn money through Cash for Work. Otherwise, who would give work to a disabled person in our society?”

Additional income plays a crucial role in strengthening the resilience of camp communities. Many respondents explained how they used the income to diversify their diet, purchasing foods not distributed through WFP, in particular high protein items like meat and fish. As one Rohingya man explained, “we can manage the required protein for family members through our livelihood business”. Another described how, “we spent the money we earned working in disaster risk reduction for our family, like for our children's education, for their medical treatment, to buy their clothes.”

Above: A group of Rohingya cash for work volunteers, including people with disability, repair a pathway in Camp 16, supported by CARE through the AHP response. Photo: AHP Bangladesh Consortium

Vocational training in tailoring to women and girls in the camps has also been able to increase family income. Rohingya women involved in livelihoods training have been able to generate income by selling clothes in the market. This has had a significant impact, enabling them to access essentials that are otherwise out of reach, such as solar batteries for lighting, fish for added protein and medicine. One Rohingya woman said, “It has changed my life having training and developing tailoring skills. Recently, I have been learning more skills, like how to make fishing nets, which has increased my earning.”

In host communities, homestead gardening is also increasing family income and nutrition. Families report they are now eating a broader range of vegetables and can sell the excess to purchase other food items and education materials for their children. Small business operators also benefitted from financial literacy and bookkeeping training which enabled them to increase their profits. One small-scale vegetable producer improved his agricultural and business practices through the training, which he credited with transforming his business.

Cash grants have enabled people to purchase hens, ducks and small goats to breed and care for, providing additional food and income. For people with disabilities, small livestock rearing has provided an accessible income source. One man with a disability from Teknaf explained how, after receiving a cash grant of BDT 5,400 (AUD 75), he was able to purchase a female goat, selling her offspring for BDT 15,000 (AUD 209) within a year. Training on livestock diet and medicine use has enabled participants to maximise the benefits of their investment.

Read more about the AHP Bangladesh response.

This case study is an excerpt from our 2022-23 Humanitarian Response Update. Download the report here.