Mohammed – Myanmar refugee in Bangladesh

Mohammed, with his daughter Umme
29 October, 2017
Mohammed is from a northern town in Myanmar. He is married to Jannat. As well as their one-year-old daughter, Umme, the couple have three sons aged three, four and five-years.

The family fled violence in Myanmar and arrived in Bangladesh.

Today, he has brought daughter Umme to the Outpatient Therapeutic Programme (OTP) clinic in Balukhali camp, where the family currently reside in a makeshift shelter.

Plabon Sankon is a technical coordinator at the clinic.

CARE is providing technical assistance to the outpatient clinic, as part of a community based management of child malnutrition program (CMAM) consortium (Concern Worldwide, SHED and SARPV) funded by UNICEF. The clinic provides high nutrient food and treatment for children aged six-months to five-years. The clinic opened on 24 September, and has been open every day since.

In their first week, the team screened 1,853 children for malnutrition. Of these, 173 children have been found to be severely acutely malnourished. If let untreated, it is expected that these children would die within two or three days. Malnourished children are given ready-to-use therapeutic food, which contains 500kcal in 92gram sachets.

Mohammed Shaker’s story in his own words:

“Her mother is sick, with a fever, aches and a cough. Umme has the same, but she also has diarrhoea. She has been screened and found to be malnourished, so we have been given this food. She seems to be enjoying it!

I have also been referred to the nearby IOM (International Organization for Migration) medical clinic to collect some antibiotics. But it’s closed now for the day, so I will have to go tomorrow.

It’s our first time here, and we have been given enough food for two days. And then I will come back. It’s a long walk from our shelter, but Umma needs this urgently. We are so grateful for the help.

With my wife poorly, I don’t want to leave her at home with the other children for too long. There is so much to do in the camp, just to get by and especially with young children.”

Interviewed by Kathleen Prior on 1 October 2017. Approved by CARE Bangladesh CD.

Figures are correct to the date of edit.

Name changed to: N/A

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