Three times a refugee
90-year-old Gul Zahar has experienced exile three times in her lifetime. Originally from Myanmar, she is a Rohingya Muslim who has lived the realities of repression, fleeing first in 1978, then again in 1991, and once more in August 2017, after her home village was burnt down. She now lives in the giant Kutupalong refugee site, in Bangladesh, which houses close to 600,000 Rohingya refugees, like her. It is now the largest refugee site in the world. Although frail and with failing eyesight, Gul keeps active helping with daily chores in her tent, which she shares with nine other family members. Gul still holds onto the hope of going back to her land.
Related news and stories
Videos
Rohingya volunteers are fighting fires in Kutupalong
Stories
Rohingya refugees lead response to fire threat in Bangladesh camps
Videos
"I want to be where there is opportunity"
Stories
Youth groups give young Rohingya refugees skills and a sense of purpose
News Releases
UNHCR's Grandi urges redoubled support for Rohingya refugees, host communities in Bangladesh
News Releases