Blog
Global webinar
Keeping Rohingya children learning in Bangladesh
Webinar: 27 July 2021
Learn more about our work with Rohingya children in refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Find out what life is like in the world’s biggest refugee resettlement, and how VSO-trained volunteers are supporting children to continue to learn and play in the camps despite the strict lockdown measures.
Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh is home to an estimated 900,000 Rohingya refugees, and more than half of them are children. For some children who were torn from their home country of Myanmar because of conflict, this life is all they have ever known.
When COVID-19 struck, the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar went into a strict lockdown and the learning centres for primary-school aged children were forced to close.
Yet, despite great adversity, VSO-trained international, national and community volunteers were able to deliver one-to-one sessions with students in their homes – bringing with them fun, laughter, play and learning.
During the webinar we heard from three volunteer speakers who tirelessly ensured this work continued.
Meet the speakers
VSO teaching assistant Moreom helps Rohingya children heal and learn
Moreom, Bangladesh
18-year-old Moreom is a young woman from the Rohingya community, who lives in Jamtoli refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. She fled Myanmar when the army began violent attacks on her community. Moreom was trained by VSO community volunteers to become a teaching assistant, teaching pre-school children aged 3 - 5 years old through inventive use of learning resources and play in her home.
Since lockdown, Moreom has been visiting her students in their homes so they can continue learning.
Due to lockdown restrictions, Moreom is unable to join the webinar herself, but she will be represented at the webinar.
VSO education volunteer Anup Goon
Anup Goon, Bangladesh
Anup Goon is 26 years old and originally from Bangladesh. Anup is a VSO volunteer-turned-project officer on the Education in Emergencies project in the Jamtoli refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Anup started volunteering with VSO in 2019. With a background in IT, he joined the Education in Emergencies project to help design and deliver an education app to support teachers and Rohingya teaching assistants with their classes.
When COVID-19 hit, Anup quickly pivoted his work towards COVID-19 awareness and prevention, visiting children in their homes, and providing psycho-social support.
Volunteer and Early Childhood Education Adviser Jean Kaggwa
Jean Kaggwa, Kenya
Volunteer and Early Childhood Education Adviser on several different VSO projects. Jean has been responsible for Early Childhood Care Education curriculum development, capacity building, the development of learning materials, and parental engagement.
Jean is very passionate about working with children, "Whenever I visit the home-based learning centres I interact with children and find their willingness and commitment to learn to be the driving force behind my efforts to design play-based teaching materials".
