Myanmar: Rohingya Women Build Confidence and Independence Through Adult Learning in Cox’s Bazar

Jan 7, 2026 | Magfuzur Rahman Shana
UN Women Asia and the Pacific
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Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh — In the Rohingya refugee camps, the day begins before sunrise. Narrow alleys are already alive with movement as families prepare for another day shaped by survival, routine and resilience. Amid the tightly packed shelters, 47-year-old Amina (name changed for her protection), begins her morning by preparing breakfast for her three children.

Amina’s husband no longer lives with them, having chosen a separate life with a second wife. The responsibility of caring for the household rests solely on her shoulders. In the camps, every day demands careful planning, knowing where to go, whom to approach, and how to navigate a complex humanitarian environment made up of service centres, camp-in-charge offices and multiple humanitarian actors. Those who cannot read or write must constantly rely on others.

For Amina, illiteracy had long been a painful limitation: “I felt helpless. I had to ask people about everything: what time to go for rations; when the water would come.”

Amina’s world was shaped by waiting for others to interpret information for her, leaving her feeling excluded and unheard.

When a neighbour told her about the Multi-Purpose Women’s Centre (MPWC), located within walking distance of her shelter, she described it as a safe space where women could learn to read and write and gain practical knowledge for daily life.