In August 2017, more than 742,000 Rohingya refugees fled from persecution in Myanmar to Bangladesh (UNHCR). Victims of ethnic cleansing, Rohingya Muslim families made the several-day trek to the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar—the world’s largest refugee camp.
The families must live in the camp for the foreseeable future, as a safe return to their home country is uncertain. Carlissa Larsen of Lifting Hands International, a non-profit organization that works with refugees around the globe, said, “even before the arrivals of refugees, Bangladesh was Asia’s poorest country, so the need for aid is immense.”
The refugees at the Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh face malnutrition, extreme weather and harsh living conditions, among many other difficulties. Through Helping Hand for Relief and Development, Lifting Hands International will send shipments of humanitarian aid to meet some of the needs of the populous refugee camp.
After receiving a request for shoes at the camp, Larsen immediately thought of The Shoe That Grows.
“Not only does The Shoe That Grows provide five sizes of shoes to those who might not otherwise have shoes, but they are versatile enough to be something the refugees want as well,” explained Larsen.
The pairs that Lifting Hands International distributes will support self-empowerment as the Rohingya refugee children continue their education and fill important family roles.
Refugees around the world—like the Rohingya families in Bangladesh—face persecution in their home countries and difficult living conditions in refugee camps. Your involvement in The Sole, our monthly giving club, will help send shoes to refugees like the Rohingya families. Support opportunities for empowerment for refugees across the globe by joining The Sole.
