Cox’s Bazar, 15 October 2024: The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has launched a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) One-stop Service Centre that will provide comprehensive mental health, psychosocial, protection and health services for the Rohingya refugee community in the world’s largest refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar. 

H.E. Irma van Dueren, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh, Fathima Nusrath Ghazzali, Acting Chief of Mission of IOM Bangladesh, and Md Shamsud Douza, Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner of the Government of Bangladesh, inaugurated this pioneering facility.   

The inauguration ceremony also featured a guided tour of the facility, cultural performances led by Rohingya artisans, and the award of certificates to the refugees who have completed psychosocial and protection skills development programmes. 

An innovation in refugee care, this centre is designed to address the urgent mental health, psychosocial, protection service and Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) needs of the Rohingya refugees, offering an integrated approach to service delivery. The centre combines multiple essential services under one roof, making it easier for refugees to access the support they need without the burden of visiting multiple facilities.

The centre’s holistic model is designed to enhance the well-being and resilience of the community by providing private counselling rooms for mental health sessions, safe spaces for child-friendly services and socio-relational activities, SRH services including family planning, menstrual regulation, and adolescent health education, and protection services for survivors of Gender-based Violence (GBV). In addition, the centre also hosts a mini-Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre (RCMC). This portion includes guided tours, cultural events, master classes, arts and crafts by skilled Rohingya artisans, and storytelling sessions to preserve and celebrate Rohingya culture.

The facility also includes a multipurpose space for community meetings, workshops and activities that engage the refugees and promote participation in mental health and psychosocial support programmes. An important feature of the centre is ‘Shanti Barir Bagan’, a community garden that fosters mental health and well-being through engagement in gardening activities.

“The Government of the Netherlands has Mental Health and Psychosocial Support as a priority within its humanitarian interventions. The One Stop Service Centre realized by IOM for Rohingya refugees Camp 20 Extension supported by the Government of the Netherlands and others, is a good example of the integrated approach needed for MHPSS,” H.E. Ambassador Irma van Dueren stated. “Many more of these centres are needed for the Rohingya Refugee population. I want to thank the IOM team and the Government of Bangladesh for this impressive achievement.”

“Marking an important milestone in enhancing the well-being and resilience of refugees in the camps, this centre is a testament of IOM’s commitment to supporting the mental health, protection and preservation of Rohingya cultural heritage of the Rohingya refugees,” Fathima Nusrath Ghazzali, Acting Chief of Mission of IOM Bangladesh, stated.

The Netherlands partially funded the construction and provision of continued integrated MHPSS, protection and sexual reproductive health (SRH) services at this one-stop service centre, along with support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia, the Global Affairs Canada (GAC), European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), Government of Japan, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) of the U.S. Department of State, World Bank and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the Government of the United Kingdom.

For more information, please contact: Tarek Mahmud, email: tmahmud@iom.int, contact: +880 1752 380 240