Youth champion supporting AHP WASH efforts in Rohingya camps

Above: Hafezur carries out water testing as part of his volunteer work. Photo: DSK/EKOTA

After fleeing ethnic violence in Myanmar, Hafezur Rahman and his family took shelter in the camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Back home, Hafezur had completed grade 10 and dreamed of studying at a big university. Now, those dreams were dashed, and Hafezur had no outlet for his ambition and academics. His family were also living with no income.

Above: DSK volunteer Hafezur speaks to water users in the community. Photo: DSK/EKOTA

Through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership response in Bangladesh, partner Christian Aid and local NGO Dushtha Shasthya Kendra (DSK) have had a strong focus on localisation, including community members in program design and implementation to foster a sense of ownership, and build capabilities.

Two years ago, Hafezur became a community volunteer with DSK, receiving training on facilitation, outreach and leadership. Since then, he has built his portfolio of skills, carrying out a wide range of important work on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to keep camp residents safe and healthy.

Hafezur has not let his youth hold him back from taking an active role. He raises awareness about safe drinking water and the importance of hygiene, tests Free Residual Chlorine (FRC) and acidity (pH) of drinking water at community water collection points, coordinates assessment of toilets for repair and maintenance, supervises repair and desludging activities, provides refresher training to Faecal Sludge Management (FSM) workers, and assists the DSK team to conduct assessments for hygiene kit distribution and other activities.

Above: DSK volunteer Hafezur speaks to faecal sludge management workers. Photo: DSK/EKOTA

Hafezur made a tremendous contribution during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when movement restrictions for humanitarian workers stopped them from accessing camps.

Hafezur supervised facilities operations and improvements, ensured sanitation workers were following desludging standards, installed hand washing stations, and repaired latrines.

On top of all this, he organised COVID-safe community meetings and brought together user committees to monitor the status of facilities and ensure continuous maintenance.

While Hafezur has given back so much to his community through his volunteer work, he says he has also gained substantive knowledge and skills. A stipend is also helping him support his family and continue studying.

‘‘Now I am continuing my study through a private tutor. I also save money for my higher education and purchase essential food items for my family,” he said.

On top of his volunteer work, Hafezur is an active participant in community decision-making, and is also undertaking small-scale gardening near his shelter. He encourages others to get involved.  

“I am happy to support my community and would like to express my sincere gratitude towards DSK and Christian Aid for all their contributions and support,” he said.

Christian Aid and DSK’s work was supported by the Australian Government through the Phase III Australian Humanitarian Partnership response in Bangladesh. Read more about the response here.