Oxfam Ireland launches appeal to help Rohingya families facing storms in Bangladesh
Oxfam Ireland is calling on the Irish public to support lifesaving work with Rohingya refugee families in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh - one of the most climate-vulnerable refugee settlements in the world.
Oxfam Ireland have shared an emergency appeal to support lifesaving work with Rohingya refugee families facing monsoon storms. Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh remains one of the most climate-vulnerable refugee settlements in the world.
The appeal focuses on training and equipping first responders within the camps. Rohingya community members play a critical role in warning families ahead of storms, guiding them to safety, and helping protect lives during cyclones and floods.
More than one million Rohingya refugees live in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar, where extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change. Heavy rains, flooding and high winds regularly destroy shelters, contaminate water supplies and put families at serious risk.
"Rohingya families are living on the frontline of the climate crisis. A single storm can wipe out a family’s shelter in minutes. This appeal is about staying ahead of disaster – training local first responders who know their communities, who can raise the alarm early, and can steer families to safety when every second counts. It’s hugely important to us that local community members are also empowered to act during these crises."
— Jim Clarken, Oxfam Ireland CEO
Funds raised through the Summer Appeal will support community-based disaster preparedness, including:
Training Rohingya volunteers as first responders
Early-warning systems for storms and floods
Helping families evacuate safely and protect essential supplies
Strengthening resilience in camps where people have few options to escape danger
Oxfam has worked in Bangladesh for decades and has been responding to the Rohingya crisis since 2017, working closely with refugee communities and local partners. Community volunteers already play a vital role in keeping people safe – particularly women, children, older people and people with disabilities – but resources are stretched as humanitarian funding declines globally.
“When a cyclone hits Cox’s Bazar, trained first responders can mean the difference between life and death. These are Rohingya men and women protecting their own communities – warning families, helping them evacuate, and responding immediately after a storm. With climate shocks becoming more intense, this work has never been more urgent.”
— Ashish Damle, Oxfam’s Country Director in Bangladesh.
The appeal also highlights how locally-led solutions save lives, ensuring refugees are not just recipients of aid but active leaders in protecting their communities.
"Rohingya families are living on the frontline of the climate crisis. A single storm can wipe out a family’s shelter in minutes. This appeal is about staying ahead of disaster – training local first responders who know their communities, who can raise the alarm early, and can steer families to safety when every second counts. It’s hugely important to us that local community members are also empowered to act during these crises."
