Samantha Haeusler
Trek for Rights
Fundraising for UN Women National Committee Australia
Story
I am raising money to support women and girls just like Minara Begum. Her story reflects the reality of hundreds of thousands of women caught in one of the world's fastest growing refugee crises. Minara was just 24 years old when she and with her family traversed unimaginable hardships to find safety in the Cox's Bazar refugee camp in Bangladesh. But safety is still a relative term for her. On her list of priorities are income-generating opportunities, better food and education for her daughter, and a secure place to live when the rains come. Since attending UN Women's Centre at the camp, Minara has learnt to tailor and is building a social network as an outreach worker. She encourages other women and girls to come to UN Women's Centres to learn, stay safe and build a community. She also helps pregnant women reach relief distribution points and carries relief items for them. She has learned to speak up and now presents the issues of other Rohingya women refugees to the authorities in charge of the day-to-day management of the camp.
Please join me in raising funds to support women like Minara, and support their journey back to a dignified life.
The funds raised through the Trek for Rights 2022 will support the Centres’ education, training, health and job programs for Rohingya refugee women and girls. Your contributions help to ensure Rohingya refugee women and girls get the help they need, when they need it most. (The cost of travel, trek guide, etc. is fully self-funded.)
Did you know:
$20 Can supply one woman with a dignity kit containing essential items such as soap, toothpaste, sanitary pads and a solar lamp
$95 can fund the production and distribution of 100 cloth face masks
$240 can supply women and their families with safer cooking fuel, to reduce health hazards
$720 can help 12 women get vocational training to help them earn an income
$2100 can support a UN Women supported Women's Centre for a week.
Today, more than 900,000 Rohingya refugees live in the largest refugee camp in the world, in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Life in the camp is not easy; conditions are crowded, and safety and security are ongoing concerns. In crises like this one, the needs of women and girls are often forgotten, but not with UN Women.
UN Women provides an oasis for Rohingya refugee women and girls through its five Women’s Centres in the camp. UN Women’s Centres provide education, vocational training, jobs, trauma counselling and a community for Rohingya women and girls. The Centres provide a safe space to connect. They offer information, raising awareness about violence, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, child marriage and trafficking.
At UN Women’s Centres, Rohingya women and girls develop leadership skills, are consulted about the running of the camp, and have their voices heard, their needs addressed and their rights protected. So long as COVID-19 is present in the camp, UN Women’s Centres will employ Rohingya refugee women to deliver prevention and education programs, manufacture and sell reusable face masks, empowering women to help stem the spread of the virus.
