Fabeha Monir | 2024 | Women By Women

For this exhibition, Fabeha Monir worked with refugee women in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Most of the women she photographed are Rohingya people who had fled persecution in Myanmar but are now part of ActionAid Bangladesh’s Camp Coordination and Camp Management project (CCM).

Through this, many women earn an income as site management volunteers and have become the main breadwinners for their families.

Amina lives in Cox’s Bazar with her two daughters and two sons and has been able to find peace in her new life. She works as a site management volunteer for ActionAid and earns a monthly salary conducting workshops to teach other women about safety in the camp. Amina has been trained in fire safety, first aid, water safety, flood response and cyclone preparedness. With a steady income, she can provide for her children by giving them an education, security and a place to live.

When she arrived in Cox’s Bazar six years ago with her daughter and elderly mother, Minara had very limited access to basic necessities like food and medicine. After taking up a job as a site management volunteer with ActionAid, she now earns a salary as a lifeguard. This not only supports her to put food on the table but also means she can send her daughter to school and care for her mother. Minara hopes her daughter will one day become financially independent like she is.

Rama has lived in Cox’s Bazar since 2012 and, like many people, struggled to make a living when she first arrived. Now, she is a site management volunteer for ActionAid and helps her community raise grievances, care for the camp and respond to challenges. She also conducts women-only workshops on first aid and water safety and can meet her family’s needs with the money she earns. Rama believes all women at the settlement should have access to education and be given the respect and resources they deserve.

Discover the stories of inspirational women and the talent of women photographers in our previous Women By Women exhibitions.