Since December 2020, the Government of Bangladesh has led the establishment of refugee facilities on the island of Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal and the delivery of relief services in partnership with civil society organizations. Currently nearly 27,000 Rohingya refugees live on Bhasan Char. With the continuous increase of the population on the island through relocations of Rohingya refugees from Cox’s Bazar, it has become imperative to have a more comprehensive view of the needs and capacities of the population on the island. Against this background, a joint multi-sector assessment was implemented by REACH under UNHCR leadership with the following objectives:
(1) to provide a comprehensive baseline of refugee population needs on Bhasan Char;
(2) to inform an evidence-based prioritisation and resource allocation to effectively plan and design programming activities around;
(3) to harmonise data collection efforts to avoid duplication of efforts and resources, minimise intrusion into the lives of beneficiaries, and maintain compatibility, quality, and comparability;
(4) to provide the basis for a joint multi-stakeholder needs analysis and interpretation process.
The survey found that almost all households (99%) reportedly faced challenges living on Bhasan Char, and almost two thirds (62%) would not recommend a relocation from Cox’s Bazar to Bhasan Char. Furthermore, the respondents information needs were not met, which included information on how to find work (as reported by 46% of households as an information need), how to visit Cox’s Bazar (39%), how to get food (31%), and family reunification (29%), what is happening in Myanmar (23%) and possible returns to their place of origin (20%). Almost 1 in 5 households (18%) reported areas considered unsafe by women and girls in their community, most commonly WASH facilities (75%)