From struggle to success: Sitara Begum’s take on clean water and safe sanitation at the Rohingya camp

The population of Kutupalong camp has exceeded over 600,000 as of October 2018. With Rohingya people still entering Bangladesh, it’s not long before this number hits a million. To meet the needs of this growing population, 29 more other camps are active as of now alongside Kutupalong in the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh, jointly managed by the government and a coordinating body of international organisations.

Sitara Begum is a wife and a mother of eight. Setting foot into the camp with thousands who entered the country last year, she currently resides in the Kutupalong camp, the largest of all the camps built till date - a never ending landscape with shelters, shops and narrow paths leading in all directions. 

Recalling her journey of the past one year, Sitara shares how life has gradually turned favorable for her and many like her at the camp. Their initial days were spent in the discomfort of a densely populated camp environment, exposed to the risk of rain, floods, cyclones, fire and landslides. Access to basic services was limited and facilities were often of poor quality, and shelters, toilets, delivery clinics and water points were sorely lacking.

So how difficult was daily life for Sitara in those initial days? A smiling Sitara suddenly turns grave, sitting up tight from the comfortable position she was chatting with us in. She shares how women would have to hold on to collecting water for their family and their need to go to the toilet till it was dark, fearing for their safety. They would step out of their shelters at night, and cross rocky hills across the camp to reach the nearest toilet, tubewell or shower block. The walk was long and exhausting, and by the time they reached their destination, long queues had already formed, and she recalls coming back home close to midnight. 

But were the day-long wait and the long queues the only struggles she recalls? Behind these challenges, there is even more to the story. A once-a-day toilet visit usually meant not eating properly the entire day to avoid the urge of going to the toilet, high chances of being exposed to urinary tract infections, and shortage of water to carry out basic household work. Was there something she or her family and friends could do about the situation they were in? Sitara shakes her head, “No, it was all Allah’s wish”.

Drawing her out of these recollections, we ask how life is now, one year after coming into Bangladesh? A smile lights up her face as she excitedly shares the positivity in her present condition. Along with proper shelter homes, schools for her children, clothing and three proper meals a day, she and many other migrants now have access to the most basic rights – water and toilets! Long waits and nighttime walks are a thing of the past now. With each passing day, life is becoming easier, and so is their acceptance as women in their own community.