{"id":7556,"date":"2022-12-12T17:10:20","date_gmt":"2022-12-12T22:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/news\/news-2\/advent-honour-story-salim-ullah\/"},"modified":"2022-12-12T17:10:20","modified_gmt":"2022-12-12T22:10:20","slug":"advent-honour-story-salim-ullah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/news\/news-2\/advent-honour-story-salim-ullah\/","title":{"rendered":"An Advent of honour: the story of Salim Ullah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.devp.org\/en\/blog\/an-advent-of-honour-the-story-of-salim-ullah\/\">Caritas Canada<\/a>&nbsp;&#8211;<\/em>&nbsp;<em>By Minaz Kerawala, Communications and Public Relations Advisor<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>&#8220;Choose for each of your tribes individuals who are wise, discerning, and reputable to be your leaders.&#8221; \u2015Deuteronomy 1:13&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n<p>Salim Ulllah was not wealthy but had been comfortably off. \u201cI had a shop, I worked as an electrician and did a bit of fishing, too,\u201d the 35-year-old recalled with a hint of pride. But all that was in Burma (Myanmar), in a past that now seems very distant.<\/p>\n\n<p>In 2107, Ullah, like hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people, was forced to leave his homeland. They were fleeing persecution by the Burmese army, that Canada has since recognized as genocide.<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cI had elderly parents, four young daughters and my wife to take care of. Every time we reached what we thought was a safe place, the army attacked, and we\u2019d have to run again,\u201d Ullah said. When they reached the sea, there was nowhere left to run. \u201cI gave the last of my savings to a boatman who brought me into Bangladesh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>As Ullah recounted his arduous journey, Mohammed Shahidul Islam nodded sadly and knowingly. As Caritas Bangladesh\u2019s shelter program officer, he had heard many such stories. \u201cNearly every Rohingya I know came just like this, with nothing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n<p>Having entered the country along similar routes to Ullah\u2019s, nearly a million Rohingyas now live in refugee camps in Bangladesh.<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li><em>\u201cNearly every Rohingya I know came just like this, with nothing,\u201d Islam said.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li><em>Development and Peace \u2015 Caritas Canada has been supporting Caritas Bangladesh\u2019s response to the Rohingya crisis from the outset.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<ul>\n\t<li><em>\u201cSince Caritas Bangladesh began the shelter and site improvement work, things are much improved. We now have the best shelters and the cleanest block.\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h4>A robust response<\/h4>\n\n<p>With consistent funding from Global Affairs Canada and unstinting generosity from ordinary Canadians, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.devp.org\/en\/\">Development and Peace \u2015 Caritas Canada<\/a> has been supporting Caritas Bangladesh\u2019s response to the Rohingya crisis <a href=\"https:\/\/www2.devp.org\/sites\/www.devp.org\/files\/documents\/materials\/rohingya_brochure2018_en.pdf\">from the outset<\/a>&nbsp;(<em>link to PDF<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n<p>Backed by Development and Peace and other Caritas Internationalis agencies, Caritas Bangladesh\u2019s emergency response program, now in its sixth year, provides shelter; water, sanitation and hygiene; protection; education; disaster risk reduction; and livelihood services in nine refugee camps and in host communities in four upazilas (subdistricts). Its facilities include five multipurpose women\u2019s and girls\u2019 centres, 11 multipurpose children\u2019s and adolescents\u2019 centres, three multipurpose community centres, three learning centres, two water supply stations, a water reservoir and six warehouses.<\/p>\n\n<p>Such a large-scale, complex operation requires community buy-in, but, as Caritas Bangladesh has reported in the past, the refugees were initially not very trusting.<\/p>\n\n<h4><em>Majhi <\/em>to the rescue<\/h4>\n\n<p>Early on, the Bangladeshi authorities realized they would need allies within the refugee community. They drew on lessons from an earlier, smaller influx of Rohingya refugees in the early 1990s. Back then, community leaders, known by the honorific <em>Majhi<\/em>, had served as important communication bridges.<\/p>\n\n<p>To facilitate the management of the camps, the authorities divided them into blocks, each of which was to have its own <em>Majhi<\/em>. And that was how Ullah came into his own.<\/p>\n\n<p>The <em>Majhi <\/em>of Ullah\u2019s block moved to another section of the camp, leaving his post vacant. \u201cThe 91 families of my block chose me as their <em>Majhi<\/em>,\u201d Ullah said. \u201cIt was a great honour for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cI convey important information from the camp in-charge and the aid organizations to my people,\u201d Ullah explained. He also transmits information the other way. \u201cIf people have any problem, they come to me with it, and I take it to the authorities. Whatever they need\u2015food, shelter, healthcare\u2015I make sure they get it. I know where people need to go to have their problems resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>In addition to being a communicator and a resource marshal, Ullah is a peacekeeper. \u201cIf I notice any trouble brewing, I get people together to talk it out,\u201d he said. To help resolve domestic strife, he ropes in respected elders. \u201cWhen children or young people have a problem, I refer them to counsellors at the child and adolescent centres.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<h4>An approach that works<\/h4>\n\n<p>Initially, there were criticisms of the <em>Majhi <\/em>system. Some saw them as unnecessary intermediaries who hoarded power and impeded direct communication with the refugees. But Islam thinks that <em>Majhis <\/em>like Ullah have proven their worth.<\/p>\n\n<p>Ullah, in turn, is appreciative of the difference the Caritas Bangladesh has made. \u201cEarlier, the conditions were very bad. The shelters were dilapidated, and the pathways were muddy,\u201d he recalled. \u201cBut since Caritas Bangladesh began the shelter and site improvement work, things are much improved.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p><em>Majhis <\/em>like Ullah have helped Caritas Bangladesh get through to and understand the needs of the refugees. As a result, shelter construction guidelines are adhered to, drainage systems are properly desilted, and stairways and bridges are built and maintained well. Ullah gushed, \u201cWe now have the best shelters and the cleanest block. We don\u2019t dread the monsoons anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>Ullah said that seeing these improvements and helping make them happen has strengthened his belief in himself and his people.<\/p>\n\n<h4>Until they return<\/h4>\n\n<p>\u201cI would love to return to my motherland,\u201d Ullah said, blinking to hold back tears.<\/p>\n\n<p>Everyone agrees that the safe and voluntary return of the refugees is the most desirable long-term end. But, as Ullah said wistfully, \u201cThere is still no peace there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>\u201cFor now, they have to live here, and we have to support them,\u201d Islam said matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n\n<p>Ullah appreciates the support. \u201c<em>Shukriya<\/em> to the people of Canada,\u201d he said gratefully. \u201cIf Canada and other countries work with the UN to bring peace to Myanmar, <em>Inshallah<\/em>, I will go back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<p>In many of the world\u2019s hotspots, your solidarity helps Development and Peace\u2019s partners make the lives of people like Salim Ullah a little bit better while they wait to return to their homelands.<\/p>\n\n<p>In this season of blessing, please consider making a donation so that our partners can restore honour and agency to displaced and dispossessed people.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"text-align-center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www2.devp.org\/en\/civicrm\/contribute\/transact?reset=1&amp;id=3&amp;gl=2y0x0\"><b>Please Give Now<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Caritas Canada&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;By Minaz Kerawala, Communications and Public Relations Advisor &nbsp; &#8220;Choose for each of your tribes individuals who are wise,&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7555,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nouvelle"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7556"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7556\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diocesemontreal.wp.vortexdev.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}