Emergency response team prepares for rainy season in Bangladesh refugee camp.

The fourth and final rotation of our "emergency response unit" has returned to Belgium. The emergency response team was active in the Cox's Bazar shelter camp from October to February. In the camp, the Red Cross helped distribute emergency relief items such as food parcels, tent tarps, hygiene kits, sleeping mats, 'dignity kits' for women with headscarves... Our emergency response team digitized and monitored the registration and distribution of emergency relief items. A total of 40,000 households received aid. 

"We managed to distribute a lot of goods and get them to the people who needed them. Unfortunately, there will always be things you wish you could have done more or better. Financial resources always remain a big problem. Not half of what is requested was available at that time." Frank Warnier, volunteer team leader fourth EBU, returned from his mission in February.

The situation in the relief camp remains uncertain. The region is at risk of flooding and landslides during the upcoming monsoon and cyclone season. The Red Cross is working intensively to develop a cash program for the refugees and the local host community. The cash should help people determine and address their own needs. The Red Cross is consciously focusing on this self-reliance.

"The conditions in which the refugees live impressed me. The houses consist of bamboo poles with plastic over and some bamboo mats. That's it. Rain can be really dramatic there." Frank Warnier, team leader fourth EBU.

The temporary dwellings made of bamboo and plastic are not yet prepared for the rainy season.