Food security for Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, is a critical concern, and multiple organizations are involved in ensuring food services and assistance in the Rohingya camps. The primary responsibility for coordinating and providing food services lies with the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partner organizations. Here are some key organizations involved in ensuring food security:
- World Food Programme (WFP): WFP is the leading organization responsible for coordinating and providing food assistance in the Rohingya camps. They distribute food items, including rice, pulses, oil, and other essential commodities, through various channels such as general food distributions, supplementary feeding programs, and targeted assistance for vulnerable groups.
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): UNHCR plays a significant role in supporting WFP's food assistance efforts. They collaborate closely with WFP to ensure the provision of adequate and nutritious food to the Rohingya population. UNHCR also supports identifying and registering refugees to ensure fair and equitable food distribution.
- International Organization for Migration (IOM): IOM is actively involved in food security initiatives in the Rohingya camps. They collaborate with WFP to assist in food distribution and ensure access to food for vulnerable groups, including pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children.
- Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs): Several NGOs operate in the Rohingya camps and contribute to food security efforts. These include organizations like the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), Action Against Hunger (ACF), and Save the Children. NGOs often provide supplementary food assistance, nutrition programs, and community-based initiatives to address food security challenges.
- Government of Bangladesh: The Government of Bangladesh, through its various ministries and agencies, plays a crucial role in ensuring food security in the Rohingya camps. They collaborate with international organizations and NGOs to provide support, allocate resources, and coordinate efforts to address the food needs of the refugee population.
- Save the Children: Save the Children provides hot meals to children and pregnant or breastfeeding women in the camps. They also distribute food baskets to families on a monthly basis.
- Islamic Relief: Islamic Relief operates community kitchens in the camps and provides hot meals to the refugees. They also distribute food baskets to families and provide food vouchers that can be used at local markets.
These organizations work together to assess food needs, distribute food items, monitor nutrition levels, and address any emerging challenges related to food security for the Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar.
Food Providing Process: In camp refugee families receive monthly food from WFP. Every month, all families receive an e-voucher valued at US$08 per person to redeem food items of their choice at WFP assistance outlets with digital systems in place to enhance accountability. They directly collect healthy fresh foods, like seasonal vegetables and fruit, and live chicken and fish, from e-voucher outlets. The most vulnerable refugee households who cannot be engaged in food assistance activities receive an additional US$ 3 per person monthly to buy nutritious, protein-rich foods at Fresh Food Corners.
To make accessibility improvements for refugees who use mobility aids like canes and wheelchairs they can use porter service to carry heavy food rations to their homes. Porter service is totally free of cost and service will be active depending on the data card information (women-headed families, child-headed families, persons with disabilities, and elderly persons). First, to access the porter service based on urgency and category, one needs to collect a token from the service providers. The token for the porter support needs to be shown to the authority while collecting the food and then they may avail the porter support service.
Hotline Numbers for Relevant Support:
WFP hotline for food support +88 08000999777
UNHCR hotline for any support related to Rohingya Refugees in the Camps 16670
Fire Service Hotline for Ukhiya +88 01533-283832, and Teknaf +88 01782-78789
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) hotline at all IOM hospitals +88 01847-351787
Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) hotline operated by Save the Children for Cox's Bazar +88 01886-555700; Countrywide +88 01730020047
The Government of Bangladesh operated emergency hotlines* –
| Services | Hotline Number |
| National Emergency Service | 999 |
| National Information Services | 333 |
| Fire Service Hotline | 16163 |
| Child Protection | 1098 |
| Violence against women and children | 109/10921 |
| National ID Cards | 105 |
| Government Legal Services | 16430 |
| Early Warning of Disaster | 1090/10941 |
| Land Services / Complaints | 16122 |
| Drug Controlling | +880 1908888888 |
| Anti-corruption Commission Hotline | 106 |
* Source: gov.bd/en/hot_line_number
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