Weathering the Monsoon: Eid-ul-Adha in the Rohingya Camps

The skies over Cox's Bazar have opened, just as Eid weekend arrives — a time traditionally marked by prayer, joy, and togetherness. But for the Rohingya refugees, this monsoon season brings a torrent of challenges alongside fleeting moments of familiarity. The rain, relentless and unyielding, recalls the monsoons of Arakan — a memory both nostalgic and painful. Now, in the world’s largest refugee camp, it brings a complex mix of hardship and fragile hope. As the rain lashes down, it reshapes the landscape and tests the indomitable spirit of a people who have already endured so much.

The monsoon begins. Clouds gather over the camp, painting uncertain skies. © Ayub Khan

Yet, as photographer Ayub Khan notes, "our spirit stands strong." © Ayub Khan

The immediate impact is stark. Paths transform into slick, muddy streams, and then into rushing rivers. Drainage systems, already strained, overflow with waste, turning common areas into hazardous zones.

Relentless rain floods the Rohingya refugee camp, with drains overflowing. © Md Reaj Uddin

The very ground beneath the flimsy bamboo and tarpaulin shelters becomes treacherous. Landslides are a constant, terrifying threat, particularly for those perched on unstable hillsides.

A worrying sight: land has shifted, creating a big pile of dirt precariously close to fragile homes. As Ro Harez's photo shows, heavy rains make the ground soft, putting many lives at risk. These families need safe places to live. © Ro Harez

Perched precariously, a shelter stands on a cliff edge. Floods, landslides, and lightning strikes, often exacerbated by climate change, have destroyed homes and claimed lives, pushing families into homelessness yet again. © Sahat Zia Hero

Access becomes a daily struggle. Simple necessities like reaching a latrine, a water point, or a clinic turn into perilous journeys.

Vital access: a staircase of sandbags amidst the mud, highlighting the daily challenges of navigating the camp during monsoon. Poor living conditions and vulnerability to natural disasters are constant companions. © Md Hussain Mosoni

A man wades through floodwaters with an umbrella, a common sight as paths turn into rivers. © Ayub Khan

A child helps her mother cross a flooded area between shelters. © SR Reyes

Flooded shelter. © Md Hussain Mosoni

"It's tough to stay at the floor level due to continuous heavy rainfall," notes Md Hussain Mosoni.

Families struggle as shelters flood, with parents desperately trying to keep their children safe and dry, like this child resting on a sack above the wet floor. © Md Hussain Mosoni

The rain also brings sickness. Damp conditions and contaminated water lead to health crises, and reaching help is an ordeal.

Nur Alom, 41 and suffering from diarrhoea, is carried by his brother and brother-in-law. Photographer Md Anayat captures their difficult journey to the hospital under a makeshift tarpaulin cover, through heavy rain and on treacherous paths. © Md Anayat

Yet, amidst the deluge and destruction, the Rohingya spirit of community and resilience shines. Volunteers mobilize, often with little more than their bare hands and sheer determination, to clear drains and assist those most affected. This Eid, though celebrations are muted by hardship, the spirit of giving, helping, and standing together remains strong. Volunteers embody the essence of the holiday — compassion in action — clearing drains, helping neighbours, and upholding dignity amid adversity.

Rohingya volunteer heroes step up, swiftly cleaning overflowing drains clogged with waste, working tirelessly to protect their community from disaster. © Md Reaj Uddin

The photographers themselves are part of this resilience, venturing out to document, to bear witness.

Bearing witness: Ro Yassin Abdumonab, a Rohingya journalist and photographer, wades into a flooded stream, committed to sharing the stories of his people. As Ro Anis captures, he works tirelessly to show their problems so others can understand. © Ro Anis

Even in the dark, under the relentless rain, life continues, and stories unfold. Shadows of resilience captured by Ro Yassin Abdumonab.

For children, the rain, despite its dangers, can also bring moments of untainted joy, a throwback to a life once known.

Two photos above: From the relative safety of their shelters, children watch the downpour, their expressions a mixture of awe and caution. © Ederis Bin Nur

Children playing with mud)Caption: The earth, softened by rain, becomes a canvas for imagination. Children craft mud castles, finding simple joy amidst the hardship. © Ro Harez Khan

Despite all the hardship, Rohingya children find joy during floods by playing in the water ... It reminds us of our peaceful days in Arakan. © Ederis Bin Nur

A young boy navigates the camp with his umbrella, a small figure against the vast challenges his community faces during the rainfall. © Mohammed Junaid

The rain also coaxes life from the soil. Small acts of cultivation become symbols of hope and sustenance.

A sign of enduring hope: in a small greenhouse, seeds of pumpkins, cauliflowers, and other vegetables sprout, nurtured by the monsoon rains. Ayub Khan captures this quiet promise of future sustenance. © Ayub Khan

"Even amidst the deluge," one might say, "life finds a way, a testament to the enduring hope cultivated by Rohingya hands." Ayub Khan

And for some, the swollen waterways offer a chance to fish, a tradition carried from Arakan, a means of survival.

A group of children try their luck, casting a net in a flooded paddy field – a scene of youthful adaptation. © Ro Arafat Khan

A fisherman employs a traditional Rohingya technique, his net held by four sticks. © SR Reyes

"This isn't just about food," an elder might reflect, "it's a thread connecting us to Arakan, a skill passed down, a ritual of survival against the odds." SR Reyes

Hope cast upon the waters: a man throws his net into a flooded field, seeking a catch to feed his family. © Md Anayat

The story of Mohammed Anos, captured by Md Reaj Uddin, poignantly encapsulates this complex reality: confinement mixed with an imaginative connection to the world outside.

Mohammed Anos, unable to join his friends playing in the rain, watches from his shelter. © Md Reaj Uddin

 "I’m just watching them play and laugh," he told photographer Md Reaj Uddin. "It feels like their game is happening inside my shelter too." His heart played along, holding onto joy even in confinement.

UNHCR reports that in just two days this monsoon season, over 1,400 shelters were damaged by landslides, floods, and strong winds, with one tragic fatality. Refugee volunteers are on the front lines, relocating families and distributing aid. Yet, the needs are immense. Communal spaces are overcrowded, and many newly arrived refugees, fleeing renewed violence in Myanmar, struggle in already packed shelters.

The UN Resident Coordinator, Gwyn Lewis, highlighted that while disaster preparedness is "lifesaving," critical funding shortfalls hampered these efforts. The 2025 Joint Response Plan, appealing for USD 934 million, remains less than 20% funded.

"We will prioritize, but we cannot abandon the Rohingya refugees in their time of need," Lewis stated, urging donors to contribute.

The monsoon lays bare the vulnerabilities of life in the camps, but it also illuminates the incredible strength, ingenuity, and enduring hope of the Rohingya people. Even during Eid — a time meant for joy and connection — that hope persists, nurtured in small acts of courage, community, and storytelling. Each photograph, each story shared by Rohingyatographer’s dedicated team, is a testament to their struggle, their dignity, and their unwavering will to survive, and to find moments of light even when the skies are darkest.

Poster artwork by Mayyu Khan