ACTIVITY REPORT 2022

WELCOME BACK

IT HAS BEEN A WHIRLWIND OF A YEAR SO WE Wanted to bring you up to speed on all things ReFOCUs with a MONTHLY UPDATE to keep you informed and engaged in what comes next.

Right from the start we knew this would be a year to remember when every photographer’s dream came true with ReFOCUS featured in National Geographic!!!

but the big breakthroughs kept on coming, so scroll down for more amazing news.

VISIT OUR NEW ReFOCUS SHOP

3 MEDIA LABS AND COUNTING

LESVOS- ATHENS- CRACOW

OUR INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF MEDIA LABS CONTINUES TO EXPAND. OUR CURRENT LABS IN LESVOS, ATHENS AND CRACOW ARE HOT BEDS OF MEDIA CREATION, AND WE’RE HOSTING UNIQUE WORKSHOPS AND PRODUCING ORIGINAL FILMS ON LOCATION IN AMSTERDAM, BERLIN, AND PHILADELPHIA. GET IN TOUCH IF YOU’D LIKE TO TALK ABOYT WAYS TO ESTABLISH A NEW REFOCUS MEDIA LAB IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

FEATURE STORY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

FEATURE FILM-
“ALONG THE WAY” BY MIJKE DE JONG
WORLD PREMIERE #IFFR ROTTERDAM

“RISK-TAKERS” FEATURED PROGRAM
ALLIANZ FOUNDATION

The Allianz Foundation supports risk takers from civil society, from art and culture or environmental movements. After all, free spaces for effective commitment have to constantly be won – especially in light of increasing nationalism and authoritarianism, even in Europe. The fight for climate protection and social justice requires courage, conviction and alliances. WE’RE PROUD AND HUMBLED TO BE FEATURED AS AN ALLIANZ FOUNDATION “RISK-TAKER” PROGRAM.

-ReFOCUS ORIGINALS-
MOVIES THAT MATTER FESTIVAL

We launched our ReFOCUS Originals film series with productions of original film concepts written, directed and produced by our artists.

“Dancing Bells” and “Dead End”, both filmed on location in Berlin and Athens, kicked off a brand-new partnership with Movies That Matter Film Festival, Buddy FIlm Foundation and the European Cultural Foundation. BOTH FILMS ARE ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT, SO STAY TUNED FOR TRAILERS AND PRESS KITS!

ORIGINAL PODCAST
“FRACTURED” S1

ReFOCUS ORIGINAL
MUSIC VIDEOS

Back on Lesvos our filmmakers put their skills into action with new collabs on official music videos for rising international Hip Hop stars.
“Erantzun (Vandalismo)” with Zekan Askalari, and “Interview” with Mo Hussein, has quickly established ReFOCUS as a go-to production house.

STAY tuned for links to both music videos when we launch!

OUR PARTNERS

Thanks to truly generous grants from Allianz Kulturstiftung in Berlin, Choose Love in London, continued support from the #LeaveNoOneBehind campaign, and strengthened existing partnerships with our hosts One Happy Family and Better Days, we re-opened our Media Lab on Lesvos , and of course are offering daily classes in our home at One Happy Family. We’re also supporting numerous independent media artists from the refugee community here on Lesvos, supporting our alumni, and also teaching a new group of young Greeks who are eager to learn photography and filmmaking.

EXHIBITIONS
FILM FESTIVALS

But the start of the fall has been electric with our students’ work showcased and celebrated at the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin in September.
Our multimedia exhibition “Trapped in the Playground” was the centerpiece of their “Art of Change” exhibition, helping to promote our 2nd feature film of the same title (currently in post-production).

That alone would have been enough to celebrate, but Katja Riemann’s film about ReFOCUS “...and here we are, a film school in Moria” also had a world premiere. It was truly amazing to have a huge group of our former students and citizen journalists in person with us at the premiere and exhibition.

And just a week later we were back up in Berlin to premiere our latest film “Nothing About Us Without Us” at Gorki Theater. The film, which serves as a call to action for mainstream media to develop a new standard of engagement with the communities they report upon, was co-directed by Yaser Akbari and Nazanin Foroghi, two of our senior citizen journalists (and now fully employed teaching artists).

The film was commissioned by the Allianz Kulturstiftung and kicked off the Berliner KorrespondenzeN annual debate series.

IT Was a true honor to share the stage with Afghan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi and Forensic Architecture founding director Eyal Weizman for a deep dive into how the media represents refugees and communities in crisis.

As they did in their film, our students and fellow filmmakers delivered powerful and honest statements, clarifYING the extreme need for change in how the media functions WHEN ENGAGING WITH IMPACTED COMMUNITIES LIKE OURS.

If you missed it you can catch the livestream here, but read on first.
https://kulturstiftung.allianz.de/de_DE/projects/berliner-korrespondenzen/berliner_korrespondenzen_break_up_1.html

EXPANSION

As expected, there was a tremendous amount of energy and support swirling around us, and as a result we’ve been able to establish new labs in Athens, cracow, and a brand new collab with rough cut media and makeshift in philadelphia.

there is significant interest in replicating our model in berlin, amsterdam and beyond, but we’ll need support to activate these new communities.

join us by donating today!

UPDATES FROM THE FRONTLINES

While we wish this update could remain wholly positive, the grim reality is that it has become even harder than ever to operate here on Lesvos. Our students struggle on the daily just to get out of camp and come to classes, deal with racial profiling on the streets, and regularly fall victim to segregationist practices under the guise of covid/public health concerns despite being vaccinated.

We haven’t even mentioned the extreme human rights violations in the form of push backs at sea and along the land borders at Evros, and now in the forests between Poland and Belarus. Lives are being lost every day, which means our citizen journalism program is more important than ever. despite the increased engagement and support for refugees throughout Europe, governments of EU member states continue to flout international rule of law without recourse.

VOICES FROM INSIDE

the level of human rights violations unfolding each day are simply unimaginable. and so we will continue to ring the alarm, and train a new wave of young activists and citizen journalists to ensure their stories are told, and that they are the authors.

Please stay tuned for new reports from the borders of Europe, as well as our new series “voices from inside” where brave independent journalists inside afghanistan continue to report, and collaborate with our journalists in exile to produce critical reports where international media simply isn’t bothering to create.

ReUNITE WITH THE FAM

Moving forward, as we expand we’d love to have you back with us in any capacity you feel makes sense- be it on the ground in one of our labs as a teaching artist, as an instructor online for the students who are no longer living on Lesvos or near one of our new labs, or just as an advocate and ambassador to help us continue to grow.

We’re sure you’ll have many questions along the way, so please don’t hesitate to reach out for clarification, and know we’d love as much of your creative energies and ideas to help this campaign succeed.

We’re so excited about what comes next, and this really does start with all of us working together to make this dream a reality!

Missing you all, and wishing you the very best,
Douglas, Sonia, the entire ReFOCUS Crew (and our newest teaching artist teodoros!!!)

ReFOCUS PROMO

ACTIVITY REPORT 2021

WELCOME BACK

IT HAS BEEN A WHIRLWIND OF A YEAR SO WE Wanted to bring you up to speed on all things ReFOCUS. Consider this as THE FIRST IN A NEW SERIES OF MONTHLY UPDATES to keep you informed and engaged in what comes next.

Some truly exciting developments have been unfolding for us since we’ve had you with us last. As you may have seen on our social media feeds we’ve weathered the Covid storms, and happily shifted from our “Season of Zoom” back to in-person classes on Lesvos. It has been truly non-stop energy and action since returning in July.

OUR PARTNERS

Thanks to truly generous grants from Allianz Kulturstiftung in Berlin, Choose Love in London, continued support from the #LeaveNoOneBehind campaign, and strengthened existing partnerships with our hosts One Happy Family and Better Days, we re-opened our Media Lab on Lesvos , and of course are offering daily classes in our home at One Happy Family. We’re also supporting numerous independent media artists from the refugee community here on Lesvos, supporting our alumni, and also teaching a new group of young Greeks who are eager to learn photography and filmmaking.

IT’S OFFICIAL!!!

-Summer 2021 was truly exciting-
perhaps we forgot to mention our cofounders -Sonia & Doug- got married!!!

EXHIBITIONS & FESTIVALS

But the start of the fall has been electric with our students’ work showcased and celebrated at the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin in September.
Our multimedia exhibition “Trapped in the Playground” was the centerpiece of their “Art of Change” exhibition, helping to promote our 2nd feature film of the same title (currently in post-production).

That alone would have been enough to celebrate, but Katja Riemann’s film about ReFOCUS “...and here we are, a film school in Moria” also had a world premiere. It was truly amazing to have a huge group of our former students and citizen journalists in person with us at the premiere and exhibition.

And just a week later we were back up in Berlin to premiere our latest film “Nothing About Us Without Us” at Gorki Theater. The film, which serves as a call to action for mainstream media to develop a new standard of engagement with the communities they report upon, was co-directed by Yaser Akbari and Nazanin Foroghi, two of our senior citizen journalists (and now fully employed teaching artists).

The film was commissioned by the Allianz Kulturstiftung and kicked off the 2021 Berliner Korrespondenzen, an annual debate series. Was a true honor to share the stage with Afghan filmmaker Sahraa Karimi and Forensic Architecture founding director Eyal Weizman for a deep dive into how the media represents refugees and communities in crisis. As they did in their film, our students and fellow filmmakers delivered powerful and honest statements and clarified the extreme need for change in how the media functions.

If you missed it you can catch the livestream here, but read on first.
https://kulturstiftung.allianz.de/de_DE/projects/berliner-korrespondenzen/berliner_korrespondenzen_break_up_1.html

EXPANSION

As expected, there was a tremendous amount of energy and support swirling around us in Berlin this past month, and as a result there is now a clearer path to establish new labs in Berlin, Athens, Sarajevo, Philly, even Dukoh in northern Iraq. While there is significant interest in replicating our model to support our alumni and activate new communities, we’re going to need to rally our entire family to achieve this long-standing mission of developing a global network of media labs.

In an effort to reach this goal as soon as possible our current team on Lesvos is feverishly working on launching a new social media and fundraising campaign in time for the holiday season.

As existing REFOCUS Media Lab Partners we’d love for you to be part of this multi-layered plan that helps expand our presence and reach on social media platforms. Put simply, we need to double our presence so more can SEE and FEEL what ReFOCUS is all about. And once they do realize how special this community is we hope you can help them THINK about unique ways to ENGAGE their respective communities and motivate them into actions of support.

For example, one of our current teaching artists -Florian Krauer- will be screening our latest film “Nothing about us without us” as part of a holiday fundraiser in lucerne, Switzerland.

We feel confident that if people hear directly from you they’ll be very much open to help us fundraise during this fast-approaching giving season to match some large donations pledged by our existing partners Allianz Kulturstiftung, Choose Love and #LeaveNoOneBehind.

To achieve this end goal we’d like to ask you all to officially serve as ReFOCUS Ambassadors during this campaign period and beyond. Below you can see a map out of the campaign phases, and As you will see there isn’t a lot of time before our BIG ASK for the giving season.

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

To make this process easy and personal, we’ll be sharing you into a Lab Kit that has different media components (video, photo, graphics, important text) for you to incorporate in several posts and communications with your respective networks over the course of the coming weeks.

We see it as essential that your networks learn more about ReFOCUS through your own experiences of helping us build this community over the past four years.

For instance, we imagine a series of posts on your social platforms over the course of our campaign in November that explicitly asks your community members to FOLLOW, LIKE, SHARE, SUBSCRIBE to our social media feeds:

@refocusmedialabs -Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, SoundCloud
@refocusmedialab -Twitter (no ‘s’ at end)

Some ideas for content we think could be effective:
-a post including our newest promo trailer
(linked in the Lab Kit)
-a post including some content (video and/or photo) that shows you in ReFOCUS action
(we will provide it in the Lab Kit if you don’t have it handy)

Some personal statements:
-a personal testimonial (video clip) talking to camera about a great moment with us
-a personal testimonial (voice over) on top of some footage from Lab Kit
-a personal testimonial (meme) on top of some imagery from Lab Kit

Essentially whatever you feel fits your style of communication to your people.

UPDATES FROM THE FRONTLINES

While we wish this update could remain wholly positive, the grim reality is that it has become even harder than ever to operate here on Lesvos. Our students struggle on the daily just to get out of camp and come to classes, deal with racial profiling on the streets, and regularly fall victim to segregationist practices under the guise of covid/public health concerns despite being vaccinated.

We haven’t even mentioned the extreme human rights violations in the form of push backs at sea and along the land borders at Evros, and now in the forests between Poland and Belarus. Lives are being lost every day, which means our citizen journalism program is more important than ever. despite the increased engagement and support for refugees throughout Europe, governments of EU member states continue to flout international rule of law without recourse.

VOICES FROM INSIDE

the level of human rights violations unfolding each day are simply unimaginable. and so we will continue to ring the alarm, and train a new wave of young activists and citizen journalists to ensure their stories are told, and that they are the authors.

Please stay tuned for new reports from the borders of Europe, as well as our new series “voices from inside” where brave independent journalists inside afghanistan continue to report, and collaborate with our journalists in exile to produce critical reports where international media simply isn’t bothering to create.

ReJOIN THE FAMILY

Moving forward, as we expand we’d love to have you back with us in any capacity you feel makes sense- be it on the ground in one of our labs as a teaching artist, as an instructor online for the students who are no longer living on Lesvos or near one of our new labs, or just as an advocate and ambassador to help us continue to grow.

We’re sure you’ll have many questions along the way, so please don’t hesitate to reach out for clarification, and know we’d love as much of your creative energies and ideas to help this campaign succeed.

We’re so excited about what comes next, and this really does start with all of us working together to make this dream a reality! Hope to speak with you soon, and keep a lookout for our Lab Kit, it will be coming your way VERY SOON!

Missing you all, and wishing you the very best,
Douglas, Sonia, the entire ReFOCUS Crew (and our newest teaching artist teodoros!!!)

2021 ReFOCUS PROMO

ACTIVITY REPORT - 2018/2017

Migration policy, government challenges to the EU relocation process and anti-immigrant sentiment make it difficult to obtain asylum in Poland. However, a bistro in Warsaw called Kuchnia Konfliktu is one of few places in Poland that provides stable employment, training and support for refugees and migrants. The idea to build something local for refugees was born two years ago and aims to bring stability into refugees lives and to change the negative stereotype of foreigners in Poland. 

The project started with a container caffe and food truck along the Vistula river in Warsaw. Early in 2018 they expanded to open a bistro at Wilcza 60 in downtown Warsaw. Refugees from several countries cook and serve there, working as one supportive family. Jarmiła, the initiator of the project, highlights that the goal is to hire not the most skilled but those with the greatest need for stable employment. Piotr, the head chef, exchanges recipes with other cooks and together they create a unique combination of flavors each week.

We're close to release a short documentary on Kuchnia Konfliktu, which helps shed light on what is unfortunately a very unique program. The following are some excerpts from our interviews with founders Jarmiła, Piotr and refugees Sultan and Liza who work here on a daily basis. 

Jarmiła: "There were several reasons to develop this project, first was the situation in Syria which was the prime motivation for us to do something local and something that would have a direct impact."

Piotr: "We’re working with people with huge experience because they have several kids and families and they cook for them. It is however something slightly different to prepare a  lunch for 70 people."

Jarmiła: "The menu is determined by the people cooking that day. It comes from the collaboration between Piotr, the chef, and the other cooking people that day. They exchange recipes."

Piotr: "I’m giving something from my side, they’re giving something from their home."

Jarmiła: "We’re trying to show this positive example, that refugees came here not for the Polish social benefits, which by the way don’t exist, or that they do not want to work or learn Polish or that Muslim man do not respect women. And you can see all of this in our team perfectly."

Jarmiła: "We currently work with people from Afghanistan, Iraq, Dagestan, Chechenia and Tajikistan. As you said, there are very few refugees from the Middle East and Syria in Poland, but we have many people from outside our Eastern border. Previously we worked with refugees from Congo, Belarus, Ukraine, Algeria, Tunisia, Pakistan and Iran. For many, Conflict Kitchen is the first place where they can find out how life looks like here, in this new reality, they start learning Polish."

Sultan: "I left Afghanistan in 1987 to study in the then Soviet Union. When I graduated, power changed in Afghanistan and mujahedeen arose to power. I couldn’t return then. I was already married to my Ukrainian wife. I couldn’t leave my family and I couldn’t take them with me, so I decided to stay in Ukraine. I came to Poland because I have been living in Donetsk and a war started there, so I came here."

Liza:  "The situation in Dagestan is still is not good, but back then it was really bad for my family. It is my homeland but I wouldn’t like to return there right now. It would be difficult.  It can be dangerous there because the state doesn’t function like in Poland. People are not free to do what they want. People go missing. That’s the problem."

Sultan: "Poland is a beautiful country. I like it here and my kids like it here as well. People are good. They’re very benevolent."

Liza: "When we reached the asylum center I could go to school immediately. I had a possibility to learn the language. I’m still learning. I found this job with my mom and I like it a lot. I’m among my people here. I like meeting new people and I’m quite talkative so this job is great for me."

Piotr: "We’re here for one month now and it’s going better and better, so I’m positive that one day I will no longer be needed here."

Jarmiła: "We’d like to give refugees at least some sense of stability in the work and financial area, so that at least that would not be a stress factor in their lives.  Knowing that people here feel they are part of this place, they feel responsible for it and they feel like they are hosts here is super cool to me."

While the food is truly amazing, Kuchnia Konfliktu is definitely our favorite place in Warsaw for much deeper reasons. 

Our team organized artistic workshops and reading lessons for little children as well as photography and video classes for teenagers. Thanks to our partnership with @Mastul Foundation, which built a school in Kutupalong camp, kids could benefit from primary education and had a place to develop their artistic skills. Nowhere prior have we been so welcomed with such high hopes, and parents kept underlining education as the key to improving their situation.
 

Through our “refocus” project, we hope to return in the coming months with more tools and resources and establish more permanent arts and education programming for young Rohingya refugees. For more on the situation in Bangladesh, visit our Rohingya page for a Special Report on the crisis and excerpts from our documentary series “Still Stateless.”

PHOTOS: @SONIANANDZIK @DFHERMAN

From Composition techniques to Exposure, Focal Elements, Basics of Lighting and Color Theory, these dedicated students have absorbed so much and have put it all into daily practice.  The past three weeks have flown by so quickly, and with the time remaining we've already kicked into creating photo essays and are bridging into documentary video.

The work doesn't end when class lets out each day, and our What's App is regularly blowing up with images from inside MOria and on the road to and from camp.  Our first exhibition, open to the public here on Lesvos, is on Fri, July 28th, and A full gallery of their work will live on www.1976km.com as well as our Instagram @1976km.

In the meantime, here are some Behind-The-Scenes shots and a little taste of what these guys have already produced. 

our main project takes place every day with partnership from swisscross.help at One Happy Family Community Center (@OHFLesvos). We started with just 5 young people, but this doubled within a day, and a week later we have over 75 daily participants of ranging backgrounds and swimming abilities.

now that we have an average number of 30 people per lesson we need more equipment to support our eager students. 

We require swimming wear for males ranging from mid-teens to adults. Goggles for adults, floating devices (both lifesaving and teaching equipment), as well as tennis balls, beach rackets, and a net for volley ball. We also require a range of gardening tools which we will use with the refugees to clean the beach we can use.

A WEEK-LONG CONFERENCE WAS HELD AT ONE HAPPY FAMILY COMMUNITY CENTER ON LESVOS, GREECE FROM JULY 17-21, 2017 TO DEVELOP COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIES FOR GENDER-BASED RIGHTS AND SUPPORT PLANS. THE WEEK OF INTENSIVE HANDS-ON WORKSHOP SESSIONS CULMINATED IN A PUBLIC PANEL DISCUSSION AND "WORLD CAFE" ROUND TABLE DIALOGUE CENTERED ON MAIN ISSUE SUCH AS SAFETY, FEMALE SPACES, GENDER-BASED RIGHTS AND MOVING TOWARD A GENDER MAINSTREAM POLICY.  

MINA JAF- A REFUGEE FROM KURDISTAN , FOUNDED WOMEN REFUGEE ROUTE IN 2015 TO TRAIN FEMALE TRANSLATORS AND PROVIDE CRITICAL INFORMATION FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS ALONG THEIR DANGEROUS JOURNEY SEEKING ASYLUM. OTHER WORKSHOP LEADERS AND PANELISTS INCLUDED SARAH MARDINI- A PROFESSIONAL SWIMMER WHO FLED DAMASCUS IN 2015 AND ALONG WITH HER SISTER RESCUED 18 FELLOW REFUGEES. SARAH NOW WORKS WITH ERCI, THE GREEK COAST GUARD AND FRONTEX IN FIRST RESPONDER EFFORTS OFF THE GREEK COAST; ALICE LUCAS- SENIOR PROGRAMME OFFICER AT REFUGEE RIGHTS DATA PROJECT (UK), AND WORKS IN INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC POLICY; MARJA BIJL- MEMBER OF DUTCH LABOR PARTY (PVDA) AND MANAGING DIRECTOR OF AN NGO WORKING WITH VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING; MARCHU GIRMA- GRASSROOTS COORDINATOR OF WOMEN FOR REFUGEE WOMEN, WHICH ADVOCATES FOR RIGHTS OF REFUGEE ASYLUM-SEEKING WOMEN. 

learn more about this initiative on facebook @WRRoute

STILL STATELESS
AYS- SPECIAL REPORT

Just one section of the massive expansion to Kutupalong refugee camp. Prior to over 660,000 new arrivals since Aug 25th, this camp had 34,000 registered refugees. This section alone now has 15,000 new arrivals.

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
January 23, 2018

The Bangladesh government planned to start a repatriation process of returning Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar. The controversial bi-lateral deal, which plans to send 750 000 Rohingya back to Rahkine State, was due to start on January 23rd, but was postponed at the last moment. The reasons for the delay are are logistical. According to the government, not enough hot spots have been prepared along the way to secure and support the passage of refugees. Although a protest led by refugees against the repatriation deal happened few days ago, most residents of the camps were completely unaware of the plan to send them back. According to the UN over 900,000 Rohingya refugees now live in the Cox’s Bazar region, with new arrivals continuing to force daily camp expansion. Government actions have been criticized by many international organizations who stress that repatriation can only happen on a voluntary basis, and authorities didn’t consult or even inform the population about their plans. 

HAP- Humanitarian Assistance Program food distribution. Waiting on long lines is a daily reality for all in these camps. 

Despite multiple public statements honoring a voluntary process by several officials with the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) the Bangladeshi government has already declared the plan will cover everyone who fled Myanmar since October 2016. This leaves no doubt that many would be forced to move against their will. None of the refugees we spoke to in the area of Kutupalong camp, where almost 550 000 refugees currently live, would consider returning to Myanmar any time soon. 

Still traumatized after unimaginable physical and psychological violence faced by the Myanmar army, almost everyone stressed the necessity of having their basic rights guaranteed before returning. These rights include freedom of movement, right to formal education, which has been legally denied since 2012, and legal rights to secure jobs within official local and national structures. 

 An entire generation of  Rohingya has been born here. 34,000 Rohingya refugees have been in Kutupalong since the 1990s. 

Generations of Statelessness
Given the history of relations with Rohingya and the political situation in Myanmar, it seems unlikely any of these demands will be met any time soon. For decades, Rohingya muslims have been without representation or advocacy within State structures. The Council on Foreign Relations has reported that the Myanmar government has effectively institutionalized discrimination against the Rohingya through restrictions on marriage, family planning, employment, education, religious choice, and freedom of movement. 

For example, Rohingya couples in the northern towns of Maungdaw and Buthidaung are only allow to have two children. Rohingya must also seek permission to marry, which may require them to bribe authorities and provide photographs of the bride without a headscarf and the groom with a clean-shaven face. To move to a new home or travel outside their townships, Rohingya must gain government approval.

Rohingya are not legally allowed to work or pursue formal education in Bangladesh. Distributions are far from adequate, so an intense and nonstop market informal economy has evolved. Each bundle of wood costs 50 Taka ($0.60), and an average home needs at least 2 per day for cooking and heat.

After major crackdowns on Rohingya civilians by the Army, two major influxes of refugees fled to Bangladesh in the 1970s and 1990s. Despite receiving official asylum status, most who fled to Bangladesh continue to live in the camps built upon their arrival, with an entire generation having been born in exile. The biggest wave of Rohingya refugees to date finds its roots in events of last Autumn. On August 25th 2017, Myanmar State media reported that 12 security officers had been killed by an armed raid led by ARSA- Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a small guerrilla group numbering in the hundreds. In response, the Myanmar Army claimed justification for an ongoing military operation in Rakhine State, which killed roughly 400 in early September. While the army claimed all were rebels, Doctors Without Borders reported 6,700 killed by September 24th.  Whole villages have been burned to the ground, unarmed civilians were shot dead and rape has been commonly used as a war tactic by the army. Those that survived fled out of fear with many dying of wounds and hunger on their journey to Bangladesh. It is seemingly impossible to find anyone in the refugee camps who has not experienced violence or witnessed family members being killed. French President Emmanuel Macron, who flatly called it “a genocide” at the UN General Assembly meeting in September, stated he would work with other members of the UN Security Council. He furthered, “we must condemn this ethnic purification which is underway and act.” Lately Bangladesh’s foreign minister agreed with Macron’s statement, however the repatriation plan has only been postponed, not cancelled.

80% Rohingya are relying on life-saving assistance. World Food Program is providing food and vouchers to more than 700,000 refugees in the area of Cox’s Bazar. Food distributions consist of rice, vegetable oil and lentils.

Still Stateless
From an economic point of view, Bangladesh simply can’t handle more than 660 000 new Rohingya to enter the labor market of a country that can’t secure stable employment for its own citizens. Local NGO leaders, who have been building structures and providing services since September, believe the government has denied refugee status to avoid Rohingya from feeling that Bangladesh will host them for a longer time.

Despite the need for more sustainable building that will withstand the coming monsoon season, current policies do not allow for any permanent structures to be built in the camps or surrounding areas.Despite the presence of many international and local organizations, services in the camps are still very basic. Many of the shelters built a few months ago are already partly destroyed and most will not endure the approaching monsoon and typhoon season. About 700 000 Rohingya depend completely on food aid provided by the World Food Program. Rations are not big enough and consist of only rice, lentils and vegetable oil. Currently, some 90,000 people have been enrolled in WFP’s new e-voucher programme, under which they receive a monthly amount on a pre-paid debit card for use in allocated shops. Card holders can buy 19 different foods, including rice, lentils, fresh vegetables, chillies, eggs and dried fish. Meanwhile, most who manage to secure some savings buy food items at local markets or rent small shops inside the camps to earn as little as 100 Taka (1,25$) a day to feed the family.

Just one section of the massive expansion to Kutupalong refugee camp. Prior to over 660,000 new arrivals since Aug 25th, this camp had 34,000 registered refugees. This section alone now has 15,000 new arrivals.

Few opportunities are available for Rohingya in the camp. Sadly, the luckiest are those who have grown up here as registered refugees. Still not allowed in the Bangladeshi school system, they at least have enough education to work as translators and workers for international organizations. Young men can find temporary employment building clinics, community centers and shelters of other use commissioned by NGOs. Meanwhile, women and children who make up over 50% of the population, depend completely on humanitarian aid, which means daily waits in gigantic, chaotic lines for pre-determined support that most say isn’t even close to sufficient. 

As the camp expands, basic emergency shelters made of flimsy tarps and thin bamboo have taken over the countryside. This house, which also isn't prepared for the Monsoon season, represents what a permanent structure looks like in Kutupalong. 

With all the challenges and uncertainty in the camps considered, no one we have spoken with wants to return to Myanmar at this moment. Without a guarantee that the persecution has stopped, and without clearly defined national rights in hand, the Rohingya will simply not agree to voluntary repatriation. As Charmain Mohamed, Amnesty International’s Director for Refugees and Migrant Rights put it, “there can be no safe or dignified returns of Rohingya to Myanmar while a system of apartheid remains in country, and thousands are held there in conditions that amount to concentration camps.” 

Each day young children, who make up over 50% of the camp population, head off outside the expansion camps to forage for fire wood. With nearly 900,000 refugees now here and more arriving each day, the supply is dwindling and the land is more susceptible to landslides once the Monsoons arrive. 

 New reports, sneak peeks from documentary series "Still Stateless" and photo reports from front line forth coming.  

by Sonia Nandzik & Douglas Herman: Cofounders- @1976km
Reporting from Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
AYS- Are You Syrious Special Report
Photos- @dfherman @1976km

STILL STATELESS
DOC SERIES  
ROHINGYA
REFUGEE CAMPS
IN BANGLADESH

Still Stateless
Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

Since August 25, 2017 over 660,000 Rohingya refugees fled extreme physical and psychological violence by the Myanmar army. Interviews conducted with survivors reveal widespread reports of rape, executions and entire villages being burned to the ground. 

Five months later, Rohingya muslims remain stateless inside Bangladesh without the legal right to work or pursue formal education. This new massive wave join an existing population that fled similar violence in recent decades. An entire generation of Rohingya were born in these camps and have known nothing but a refugee's life. 

Written by Sonia Nandzik- @sonianandzik

Photography and Editing by Douglas Herman- @dfherman

"Constance: The Descent" 
Score by Kevin MacLeod

"One-take on Thaing Khali camp" excerpt from "Still Stateless" Docu Series
Rohingya Camps, Southern Bangladesh.

Photography and Editing by Douglas Herman- @dfherman

"One-take on approaching monsoon impact" excerpt from "Still Stateless" Docu Series
Rohingya Camps, Southern Bangladesh

Written by Sonia Nandzik- @sonianadzik
Photography and editing by Douglas Herman- @dfherman

Music: "Dark Toys" by  SYBS
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTJiB0YjYyrximbFeXsQz3A

We Stand in solidarity with all the women who refuse to give up!

On International Women's Day 2018, over 11 million women and girls are currently refugees. Over 3 million have experienced sexual violence, many of which are forced into prostitution and sex slavery. 

Data by Sonia Nandzik- @sonianandzik
Photography and editing by Douglas Herman- @dfherman 

Music: "Digital Memories" by Unicorn Heads