By: Camp Correspondent
Cox’s Bazar, May 22, 2025 — In a gesture of continued solidarity with Rohingya refugees, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has donated 667 metric tons of dates through the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The donation is aimed at improving the nutrition of Rohingya children attending learning centers in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar and Bhashan Char.
The official handover ceremony took place on Thursday in Dhaka, attended by representatives from the Saudi Embassy, KSrelief, and WFP.
The donated dates will be distributed through WFP’s school feeding programme, which currently supports 250,000 Rohingya children across more than 3,500 learning centers. The initiative aims to combat malnutrition and promote regular attendance in informal education programs within the camps.
Over one million Rohingya refugees remain entirely dependent on humanitarian aid. According to WFP, malnutrition rates are alarming, with over 15% of children under five and nearly 20% of children under two suffering from acute malnutrition.
The Saudi donation comes at a critical time. Earlier this year, the WFP nearly halved food rations due to a funding shortfall, threatening food security across the camps. Emergency contributions from donor countries, including Saudi Arabia, allowed WFP to temporarily restore full monthly rations—$12 per person in Cox’s Bazar and $13 in Bhashan Char—but the current funding is only secured until the end of September 2025.
Abdulaziz Fahad M Al Ibrahim, chargé d’affaires of the Saudi Embassy in Dhaka, stated:
“We are proud to stand with the Rohingya people and support WFP’s life-saving work. Saudi Arabia remains committed to helping vulnerable communities around the world.”
Dom Scalpelli, WFP’s Country Director in Bangladesh, added:
“Providing nutritious food to Rohingya children is essential not just for their health, but also for their dignity and future. We thank Saudi Arabia for this generous support.”
Saudi Arabia has been contributing to the Rohingya humanitarian response through WFP since 2017, offering both monetary and in-kind aid.
Currently, WFP requires an additional $106 million to maintain food assistance for the next year, of which $83 million is urgently needed to continue full monthly rations for all refugees.
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