Long Live The Sar

A few people have asked where they can make a donation to help the refugees.  The organization I am volunteering with is called  MedGlobal.  They are doing great work in the camp by providing top-notch medical care in an underserved area of the camp. They are also supporting the work of their local NGO partner, Prantic Unnayan, and the health initiatives of OBAT Helpers. They also run missions to Greece, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, and Venezuela.  If you want to donate to broader refugee relief efforts that address issues beyond healthcare, check out the  International Rescue Committee  (disclosure - my sister works for the IRC, great organization) or the  UNHCR .  =============================================== Thirteen days, eleven shifts, and at least 300 patients. Thirteen breakfasts of rice and vegetable curry. At least 40 hours driving through the countryside to-from camp. A few tom-tom rides and three morning beach runs. A few highlights ...

It's weird to write about a problem when you feel like you're part of the problem. For example, this refugee crisis. I didn't personally displaced anyone, certainly didn't commit any violent acts, threaten, or attack anyone. But in trying to be part of the solution, I feel like part of the problem. For one, any refugee crisis screws up the local economy. Before the Rohingya arrived, Cox's Bazar was a small but rowdy beach resort town for Bengali tourists. A few nice hotels, a few average hotels, 75 miles of beach, parasailing, air force base, some other government offices. When the population of the Kutupalong-Ukhia camp exploded in 2017-2018, the district of Cox's Bazar did as well. In one year, the population of the district went from 400,000 to 3.2 million. As NGOs pour into town, demand for nearly all goods rises, housing/food/raw materials supply is slow to catch up, and the cost of nearly all items rise. Basic inflation. Long-term rentals in hotels that...

A few people have asked where they can make a donation to help the refugees.  The organization I am volunteering with is called  MedGlobal.  They are doing great work in the camp by providing top-notch medical care in an underserved area of the camp. They are also supporting the work of their local NGO partner, Prantic Unnayan, and the health initiatives of OBAT Helpers. They also run missions to Greece, Lebanon, Sierra Leone, and Venezuela.  If you want to donate to broader refugee relief efforts that address issues beyond healthcare, check out the  International Rescue Committee  (disclosure - my sister works for the IRC, great organization) or the  UNHCR .  =============================================== In this post, I want to share a few musings on what the future may hold for the Rohingya refugees. A disclaimer: First, I am NOT an expert on this topic. I have spent all of nine days in Bangladesh working in the world's largest refugee...