Minara one of Rohingya Women Leaders Combating for Gender Equality in COVID-19 Pandemic

Minara is a Community Outreach volunteer and Rohingya refugee; and survivor of Rakhine political repression. She fled from the conflict from Myanmar in August 2017, she is now living in a Rohingya refugee camp, in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Minara is a leader of the Rohingya women-led organization called "Education and Wisdom Development for Rohingya Women”. As a volunteer Rohingya Refugee camp, Minara is one of the beneficiaries of a UN Women Economic Empowerment Programme that aims at empowering Rohingya refugee women to lead and participate in decision-making processes in the camps.The community outreach volunteers like Minara provide critical information to refugees about the prevention of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse, they also provide information to women and girls and to the community in general about how and where to seek help when experience violence. Women volunteers have also been trained in disaster preparedness since Bangladesh is at heightened risk of climate disasters such as floods and cyclones and they contribute largely to disseminating information on disaster preparedness to the refugee community. Since the coronavirus pandemic reached the country, community volunteers became trusted sources of information for refugees on COVID-19 prevention. Minara is also the founder and leader of a Rohingya women’s community-based organization that promotes refugee children and young adolescents’ education and leadership.