WFP cuts Rohingya food assistance: What does losing $6.50/month mean?

When traveling from Cox’s Bazar town to the Rohingya refugee camps along the Cox’s Bazar–Teknaf Highway in Bangladesh, one will pass through Ukhia upazila (i.e., sub-district). At the far end of the local bazaar in this upazila, there is a small coffee shop that sells coffee, desserts and a selection of light bites. Although this shop is well known among locals, very few choose to go there due to its high prices. Ordering a large Americano and a burger-style sandwich at this coffee shop – which could be considered a modest brunch – costs around $6.50. Now, while $6.50 might manage just a brunch at this coffee shop, what does losing that same amount mean for Rohingya refugees living in temporary camps less than four kilometres away from it?

Recently, amidst a global aid crisis, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced it was unable to raise enough funds to maintain its monthly $12.50 food allocation per Rohingya refugee, and so it will be reduced to $6 from April. Below is an outline of what this $6.50 reduction signifies in the context of Rohingya camps.

A $6.50 reduction means hunger and malnutrition

A Rohingya man in his sixties from Camp 22 explains:

Before, with the money [i.e., $12.50] we received on our food card, we could afford rice, oil, eggs, lentils, vegetables, spices, onions, garlic and salt for an entire month. We could even eat chicken or fish once a week. But now, if this amount is cut, we’ll only be able to purchase rice, lentils and salt.

His statement aligns with a price list circulating throughout the camps (see image below), which shows that starting in April, a Rohingya refugee might buy 10 kg of rice, 1.5 kg of red lentils, and 0.5 kg of salt – all for about $6, totalling 726 Bangladeshi taka (BDT). According to that list, rice costs 55.8 taka per kg, lentils 100 taka, and salt 36 taka.

Although the exact source of this price list is unknown, it suggests that the $6.50 reduction will push the Rohingya further into hunger and malnutrition. If their diet is limited to rice and red lentils, they may get carbohydrates, protein, fibre and some essential nutrients, but they will still lack critical vitamins and minerals like vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium etc., which are vital for overall health. Such deficiencies can lead to fatigue, weakness, tingling in the extremities, bone fragility, muscle cramps and tooth decay, among other complexities. Hunger and malnutrition will naturally increase depression and stress, severely impacting their mental health as well.

However, it’s not that a Rohingya individual cannot buy any other items with the allocated $6 if they wish. They could adjust the quantities of these three items to save some money and purchase something else. But that would be far from enough to meet their hunger and nutritional needs over the course of a month, which, especially for pregnant Rohingya women and lactating mothers with infants, would undoubtedly pose additional health risks.

A $6.50 reduction means school dropouts, child labour and child marriage

Dropping out of learning centres in the camps, working outside the camps for wages and young girls being forced into child marriage are not new issues among Rohingya children. However, the increased hunger and malnutrition that will come with the $6.50 reduction will exacerbate these problems even further. Research indicates that malnourished children struggle to concentrate on their studies, which could lead to a surge in school dropouts in the future.

Many Rohingya families will feel compelled to send their children to work to compensate for this $6.50 deficit. As a result, the presence of Rohingya children working in restaurants and bazaars in the surrounding host communities could become an increasingly common sight.

Meanwhile, in a community where girls are already forced into early marriages due to social norms, the $6.50 reduction will push even more Rohingya families to consider marrying off their daughters to older men with stable incomes. On the other hand, from a groom’s family’s perspective, the prospect of receiving a dowry will further incentivise child marriage.

These are just three of many examples of the negative coping mechanisms the Rohingya community may adopt as a result of this $6.50 deficit.

A $6.50 reduction means more unrest in the camps and greater influence of armed groups and human traffickers

Criminal activity in the Rohingya camps is already a concern and is likely to worsen as food aid is reduced. Armed Rohingya groups typically expand their influence by recruiting new members with promises of income and power. As young Rohingya men become more desperate for livelihoods due to the $6.50 deficit, these groups will take advantage of the situation to expand their networks.

Similarly, human traffickers will exploit this opportunity. Reports frequently emerge of boats carrying Rohingya across the Andaman Sea to various Southeast Asian countries. Living in dire conditions, many Rohingya are lured by traffickers offering false promises of better lives and job opportunities – if they can pay for the dangerous and illegal journey. Not everyone, however, who attempts the journey succeeds. With no durable solution in sight to the Rohingya crisis, many Rohingya refugees see little hope for their future and are desperate to leave the camps. This is why traffickers have no shortage of willing clients, and the $6.50 reduction will only increase their numbers.

According to several Rohingya men and women in their 20s and 30s from Camp 18, incidents of kidnappings for ransom have recently increased. They believe such cases will rise even further once food aid is cut in April. Additionally, petty crimes such as theft and physical altercations may also become more frequent. Beyond these concerns, they worry that as families struggle to access and secure sufficient food, household conflicts will escalate, leading to a rise in intimate partner violence.

A $6.50 reduction means weakened social cohesion between the host and Rohingya communities

Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas – two regions in Cox’s Bazar where the Rohingya camps are located – were once known for their solidarity with the refugees. Many locals even worked along the Bangladesh–Myanmar border in 2017 to help them. However, today, most residents perceive the Rohingya as a ‘burden’, including many who had initially welcomed them. These locals, the majority of whom live below the poverty line, claim that a significant number of Rohingya have moved outside the camps, engaging in jobs such as day labour, construction work, rickshaw pulling, contract fishing and working in tea shops. Since Rohingya labourers accept lower daily wages, local labourers struggle to secure these jobs.

Some locals in Teknaf upazila also allege that crimes in host communities near the camps – such as kidnapping, mugging and robbery – often involve Rohingya individuals.

These perspectives indicate that the initial sense of empathy toward the Rohingya has significantly diminished. With the new cuts, more Rohingya will inevitably seek work outside the camps to compensate – given that job opportunities within the camps are extremely limited, aside from a few low-paying volunteer positions – which will further strain social cohesion between the host and Rohingya communities.

What lies ahead?

The impact of the $6.50 reduction will not be limited to these immediate challenges – it will be far-reaching. At the time of writing, the WFP has already issued an urgent appeal for funding to prevent reductions in food assistance. The UN Secretary-General’s solidarity visit to the Rohingya camps on 14 March raises hope. Yet, given the ongoing global shortfall of aid, it seems unlikely that the WFP will be able to restore the Rohingya food allocation to $12.50 any time soon. Under these circumstances, donor agencies that continue funding various projects in the Rohingya camps should prioritise food assistance. Among all basic human needs, food is the most fundamental, and this $6.50 reduction will push the Rohingya toward a future where the consequences will not be confined to the camps and adjacent host communities, but could also pose risks to regional security.

Pradipto Vaskar Rakshit is a humanitarian professional and independent researcher, currently working in the Rohingya refugee camps.