UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom visited Bangladesh this week to see the impact of severe cuts to official development assistance (ODA) on the half a million children living in the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar.
During the four-day visit, Bloom met with children, families, and aid workers to understand the scale of the funding challenges threatening children's education, health, protection, and survival in the world's largest refugee camps.
"The children in these camps are 100 per cent dependent on aid, but that aid is sadly shrinking," said Bloom. "I met 14-year-old Aziz who told me he dreamed of becoming an engineer so that he could build a drone to show the world how much help Rohingya children need. These children need an education in order to have a future."
In June this year, UNICEF was forced to temporarily close most schools in the Rohingya refugee camps due to funding shortages, affecting almost 150,000 children. While children across all grades recently resumed learning after fundraising efforts, the threat of an imminent funding shortfall in early 2026 risks closing all schools again, leaving more than 300,000 children without access to education.
"I spoke to 15-year-old Husna at a UNICEF-supported school. She is incredibly dedicated to her studies, not missing a class since she joined school in the camp three years ago, and even learning English online to improve her chances for the future. She told me how she wants to continue studying to become a doctor to help girls like herself. Keeping schools open is the only chance for girls in the camps to have a chance in life and avoid falling into child marriage - a threat for the majority of girls here," said Bloom.
For children living in emergencies, school is a lifeline, offering them not only a chance to learn, but a safe space away from exploitation, child marriage, trafficking, and recruitment by armed groups. The absence of formal education leaves children vulnerable to these grave risks, especially girls and adolescents who are already traumatised by displacement.
In recent months, UNICEF has also stepped up its response to provide safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), reaching over half of the population in the camps to prevent disease outbreaks and health-related issues. In comparison to last year, skin diseases such as scabies due to poor sanitation have increased by 24 per cent, affecting half a million people living in the camps.
Despite efforts to maintain essential services, recent reductions in international aid are also severely impacting children's safety. In October alone, more than 400 Rohingya children in the camps were reported to be victims of serious human rights violations, mainly abduction and recruitment by armed groups, three times more than during the same period in the previous year, underscoring the urgent need for stronger protection measures and intervention.
"On top of all the other challenges in the camps, insufficient protection services are putting these children at real risk of further abuse and neglect. Children must be protected from violence and exploitation," said Bloom. "I spoke with two children who recently escaped after being abducted and held for several months by armed groups. Their stories are absolutely heartbreaking. Due to their experiences, they will face lifelong trauma, and I fear for their safety. It's a stark reminder that urgent action and increased measures to protect children are critical and lifesaving."
During the visit, Bloom also met mothers of children under five suffering from acute malnutrition, a situation that is worsening due to multiple factors, including insufficient funding. UNICEF data from January to September 2025 show an 11 per cent increase in admissions for children under five suffering from severe acute malnutrition in comparison to the same period the previous year.
UNICEF works across the Rohingya refugee camps to promote and support infant and young child feeding for the prevention of malnutrition, and to ensure all children with severe acute malnutrition receive treatment. Without sustained funding beyond 2025, vulnerable mothers and children will be left without access to vital services.
"After eight years of protracted crisis in which UNICEF has worked tirelessly to give a future to the Rohingya refugee children, the scale and speed of funding reductions in the camps threatens to create a lost generation," said UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh, Rana Flowers. "If current trends continue, over half a million children living in the camps risk facing lifelong development delays, loss of childhood, or death. The ripple effect of the current funding crisis will impact every aspect of children's lives - less food, fewer health services, and no protection from violence and exploitation."
Bloom's visit comes at a time when many governments around the world are scaling back foreign assistance. UNICEF is warning that these cuts are putting young lives and futures at risk. UNICEF expects a minimum 20 per cent drop in income globally over the coming four years.
"The situation unfolding in the Rohingya camps is a child survival crisis," said Bloom. "We urge the international community to step up and support children who need aid now more than ever. They don't deserve to be forgotten - no child does."
