Once illiterate and devastated by flight, a Rohingya woman refugee in Bangladesh becomes a leader in her community

Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh — Inside the Rohingya refugee camps of Cox's Bazar, women face significant barriers to education, economic opportunities, and leadership roles. For many, these challenges are compounded by what they lost during their forced displacement.

One of these women, 35, recalls: "We lost everything — our home, our land, our relatives and neighbors — when we fled Myanmar in 2017. Along with my husband, our 11-month-old son, and our 10-year-old daughter, we walked for seven days, crossing rivers with no food for the last couple of days, surviving only on water. In September, we finally arrived in Teknaf, Bangladesh."

"After my husband passed away three years ago, I became the sole provider for my children. As a woman with no education or skills, I felt overwhelmed by the responsibility and uncertain about our future."

(UN Women is not using the woman’s name for her protection.)

We lost everything — our home, our land, our relatives and neighbors — when we fled Myanmar in 2017. Along with my husband, our 11-month-old son, and our 10-year-old daughter, we walked for seven days... "

Since 2021, UN Women programme partners, including Research, Training and Management International (RTMI) have been implementing the Women Peacebuilders Lead Social Cohesion project to train and encourage cooperation between women’s groups from the Rohingya community and from the surrounding Bangladeshi communities. The Government of Switzerland, through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, funds the project. RTMI is a development nonprofit founded in Bangladesh.

The life of the woman who arrived in the camp in 2017 began to change in early 2022 when she met a volunteer with RTMI who had formed the Rohingya Women Empowerment and Advocacy Network. Through this network, she attended training on domestic violence and gender-based violence.

“I had no idea about my rights as a woman,” she said. “I always dreamed of empowering women, of working for other women. From my experience in Myanmar and in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, I saw firsthand how vulnerable women and girls are during crises.”

The woman then enrolled in a 60-day Second Chance Education training given by RTMI, where she learned English and numeracy skills.

“Before, I couldn’t read or write. I didn’t even recognize the names of places,” she said. “Now, I can read signboards in the camps, calculate numbers and money, and manage my own business. I can also help my children with their homework, as they now attend a learning centre in the camp.”

Through the project, the woman also learned sewing, embroidery, and handicrafts. Today, she sells children’s dresses, Rohingya traditional dresses, and other handcrafted products to neighbors and at the Women’s Market in Camp 5.

“Every month, I earn around Bangladesh taka 6,000 (USD 50),” she said. “I have saved 20,000 taka (USD 168) for my children’s future.”

The woman also received training through RTMI, with support from UN Women, on women’s leadership, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, referral pathways, child marriage, family planning, and prevention of gender-based violence.

Recently, she established a women’s network group in Camp 15, bringing together nine women and three adolescent girls. The group has started giving awareness-raising sessions and livelihood skills training to other refugees.

“My dream is to become a strong woman leader, just like the other inspiring women leaders in the camps. I want to support women in need, helping them access empowerment and protection services,” she said.

Through the Women Peacebuilders project, 12 women-led community-based organizations — six in the Bangladeshi communities around the camps and six in the refugee camps — have strengthened leadership and advocacy skills, gender-based violence prevention efforts, and organizational management. Together, these organizations in turn have reached 5,944 people in both the camps and surrounding communities with critical awareness-raising and services. The project was funded by the Government of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.