Khaleda Begum had little to do other than helping her mother with household chores. The 17-year-old would spend most of her time indoors, back at the Rohingya camp in Cox s Bazar.
Being from a conservative family, she had not expected her life to change much but surprisingly it did, and it did for the better.
Khaleda has been learning to tailor dresses and operate sewing machines since her arrival at Bhasan Char. She is feeling a drive within herself to become solvent. At least I ve got something to do now. I will be able to make my own dresses and earn in the future by doing it for others, she told this correspondent at the island, around 40km off Noakhali, a couple of days ago.
Shafika and Jhunjhuni are inseparable. Fondly named after Shafika s favourite toy from when she was a toddler, the Black Bengal follows Shafika everywhere.
The two looked very happy as they pranced towards the large playground under the bright morning sun yesterday.
In fact, that was the first thing that Shafika and most likely Jhunjhuni too noticed, when they reached Bhasan char along with other refugees from the Cox s Bazar camps. We did not have anything like this [playground] at the camps. And the roads were hilly, she said, beaming at this correspondent.
Yesterday a total of 1,776 Rohingyas arrived at Bhasan Char in the third batch while another 1,800 are expected to arrive today, said A A Mamun Chowdhury, project director of Ashrayan Project-3.
Seven-year-old Saiful Islam had to seek refuge in Bangladesh along with his parents in late 2017, during the military crackdown in Myanmar against the Rohingya community.
While crossing the border, his left leg was suddenly blown up after he stepped on a land mine. Before he knew what happened, he lost consciousness.
After rushing to cross the border, his parents Md Rafique and Ayesha Begum were finally able to admit their son to a hospital.
Saiful, now ten years old, on his first day on Bhashan Char yesterday walked out of the naval ship and took a long breath of joy.
First Rohingya baby born in Bhasan Char
Sun Online Desk
11th December, 2020 03:46:41
A Rohingya woman has given birth to a baby boy seven days after she reached Bhasan of Noakhali along with her other family members.
The 7-pound boy, who has not been named yet, is the third son of Md Kasem and Rabeya Khatun.
They were among the first group of people who were settled in the small island off the coast of southern Noakhali.
Both the mother and the newborn are doing well.
Commodore AA Mamun Chowdhury, project director of the Ashrayan-3 Project (the official name of the Bhasan Char project), confirmed the news.
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