Japan pledges $1.4M for Rohingya children in Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV)— Japan has pledged $1.4 million to support Rohingya refugee children and their families in Bangladesh, as humanitarian agencies warn of deepening risks inside overcrowded camps hosting one of the world’s largest stateless populations.

The funding agreement was signed Monday between the Government of Japan and the United Nations Children’s Fund, widely known as UNICEF. The UN agency said the contribution will assist more than 56,500 Rohingya refugees, including over 36,000 children, in Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh and on Bhasan Char, a remote island relocation site in the Bay of Bengal.

The Rohingya, a Muslim minority from Myanmar, fled a military crackdown in 2017 that the United Nations has described as ethnic cleansing. Nearly one million refugees remain in Bangladesh, most living in densely populated camps vulnerable to flooding, fires, disease outbreaks and chronic underfunding.

UNICEF said the new funding will focus on education, water and sanitation services, nutrition and primary health care. Aid agencies have repeatedly warned that deteriorating living conditions, malnutrition and limited access to formal schooling are placing a generation of Rohingya children at long-term risk.

In Cox’s Bazar — home to the world’s largest refugee settlement — the program will support formal education and skills training for adolescents. On Bhasan Char, where thousands of refugees have been relocated from mainland camps, UNICEF plans to expand access to the Myanmar curriculum to ensure continuity in learning.

The funding will also strengthen water supply systems and sanitation facilities in an effort to reduce outbreaks of cholera, dengue and other communicable diseases that periodically affect the camps. Households are expected to receive hygiene supplies, including soap and menstrual health materials.

Health interventions will include expanded services to prevent and treat child malnutrition and to improve maternal and newborn care. UNICEF said support will extend to primary health centers in Cox’s Bazar and to a newborn stabilization unit on Bhasan Char.

Japan has been a significant donor to the Rohingya response since the crisis began. According to UNICEF, Tokyo has contributed more than $250 million to UN agencies and non-governmental organizations in Bangladesh since 2017, including about $47 million channeled through UNICEF for child-focused programs.

Humanitarian agencies have warned that global funding shortfalls are threatening essential services in the camps, raising concerns over food insecurity, protection risks and reduced access to education. The latest contribution comes as aid groups call for sustained international engagement until conditions in Myanmar allow for safe and voluntary return.