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Community radio keeps Rohingya refugees connected

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Community radio keeps Rohingya refugees connected

Meet Abdullah, a one-man radio show who keeps refugees at Kutupalong settlement in Bangladesh informed on issues that affect them.
28 August 2018

For the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who live in Kutupalong settlement in Bangladesh, getting information on available services is key. Now a roving refugee reporter for a community radio station is helping to connect them.


Eighteen-year-old Abdullah, who works for Radio NAF, heads out into his community interviewing his fellow refugees about issues that affect them such as shelter, health and education. The recordings are turned into weekly radio shows at Radio NAF's headquarters in the nearby town of TekNaf.

"At the radio station, my responsibility is to provide advice to people who lack the information that they need to live in the camp," he says.

There is no radio reception at the settlement itself, so Abdullah plays the broadcasts at so-called 'listener clubs,' where residents gather around to listen to a recording of the show.

For Abdullah, the radio has given him the chance to serve his community and learn on the job.

“At the radio station I’ve learnt a lot and I’m sharing a lot of important information with my community," he says. "My parents are proud of the work I’m doing.”