The World Bank has approved a $165million grant to help Bangladesh provide basic services and build disaster and social resilience for the Rohingyas who fled violence in Myanmar and took shelter in Teknaf and Ukhia Upazila in Cox’s Bazar.
This is the third in a series of planned financings of approximately half a billion dollars announced by the World Bank in June 2018.
Earlier, the World Bank committed to provide a $75million grant for the health and learning needs of the Rohingyas.
The Emergency Multi-Sector Rohingya Crisis Response Project will help Bangladesh cope with the world's fastest growing exodus, where the Rohingyas outnumber the local community more than threefold in the Teknaf and Ukhia Upazila, said the WB on Saturday.
The project will help build and rehabilitate basic infrastructure, improve community resilience and help prevent gender-based violence.
This includes building a water supply system comprising of community standpoints, rainwater harvesting, and piped water supply systems as well as improving sanitation facilities.
Multipurpose cyclone shelters, roads, footpaths, drains, culverts and bridges will be built under the project and solar street lights inside the camps will be installed.
"Bangladesh has shown great generosity by sheltering and providing for a nearly a million Rohingya people, despite its own development challenges," said Dandan Chen, World Bank Acting Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.
"The influx has placed enormous pressure on local infrastructure, services and public resources. This project will contribute to improving basic public infrastructure and living conditions in the congested camp. Moreover, through our existing and new projects, we are helping the local population."
The Rohingyas are living in extremely congested conditions in Cox’s Bazar, an area that is prone to weather shocks.
The project will respond to natural disaster shocks and gender-based violence through strengthened government systems, says a UNB report.
"More than half of the Rohingya population are women and girls and before coming to Bangladesh they were exposed to gender-based violence and now are at risk," said SwarnaKazi, World Bank Team Leader for the project.
"In this project, all facilities are designed as women-friendly. Cyclone shelters and water and sanitation facilities will cater to the needs of women and children and the street lights will ensure better safety. The project will also have gender-friendly spaces and community services will be targeted at women and adolescent girls."
The World Bank is helping the host communities with about $200million support in Cox’s Bazar through ongoing projects: disaster preparedness including building and rehabilitating cyclone shelters; improving basic infrastructures and governance in union parishads, pourashabhas, and municipal areas; social protection; and, collaborative forest management and income generation opportunities for the host communities.
