In 2017, an ethnic group in Myanmar known as the Rohingyas were facing violence and genocide and forced to flee. Now, 6 years later, nearly one million Rohingyas still live in life-threatening conditions in the sprawling refugee camps of Bangladesh.
The plight of the Rohingyas have consistently been an issue close to Pope Francis' heart.
POPE FRANCIS
As I reiterate my closeness to these populations, I address the leaders, so that they may facilitate access to humanitarian aid, and I appeal to the sense of human and ecclesial solidarity to come to the aid of these brothers and sisters of ours.
But Pope Francis is not the only one concerned with their situation—UNICEF, the UN's branch for humanitarian aid to children, has also been helping improve their circumstances. Just last week, a record number of 300,000 children attended their first day of school.
With classrooms in the Bangladesh refugee camps now filled with hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children, UNICEF representatives believe it will help create a safe return and a better future in Myanmar.
AT