“She Heard My Voice”: Ayesha’s Journey to Safety in Cox’s Bazar

Ayesha speaking from her shelter in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

“When violence entered our lives, we felt helpless and alone.” Ayesha* says this softly from the doorway of her shelter in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee centre.

A mother’s fight to protect her daughter

Ayesha fled Myanmar to Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh with her young daughter, arriving with nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Life in the crowded, chaotic camp felt safer at first, until violence found them again in camp. “I felt trapped… I did not know how to keep my daughter safe. I felt like no one could hear me.”

Cox’s Bazar now hosts more than 1.3 million Rohingya people, many of whom have no right to work and no clear future. For women, especially those raising children alone, the risks are severe.

The moment someone listened

Everything changed when Ayesha met a Caritas‑supported volunteer from her own community. “She heard my voice when I thought no one was listening. She listened to me when I felt invisible,” Ayesha says. Through a Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand–supported programme, she was connected to a trained case worker and received protection, counselling and legal assistance. She and her daughter were helped into a safer living situation.

“My daughter and I are now living in peace,” she says. “They heard my voice and answered my call.”

Why continued support matters

The Rohingya are among the world’s most persecuted minorities; since 2017, over a million have fled violence in Myanmar to Bangladesh and the influx continues. They cannot safely return home, and they are not permitted to build permanent lives where they are.

Camp life is precarious. Makeshift shelters are vulnerable to floods and fires, just this January, a blaze in Camp 16 displaced 2,000 people. Disease threatens daily life, rations have been slashed amid funding shortfalls, and trafficking and exploitation put women and girls at constant risk. Education is scarce; safety is never guaranteed.

Amid this, Caritas is there supporting protection services, counselling through community‑based “Barefoot Counsellors,” and improving access to essentials like safe shelter, water and sanitation, as well as livelihoods. Last year, Caritas‑supported volunteers helped almost 13,500 people in the camps, the vast majority women.

Put compassion into action

Your support helps ensure survivors of gender‑based violence are heard and safe. Donate today at caritas.org.nz/Lent or call 0800 22 10 22.

*Name changed to protect her identity.