Founder:
Sharifah Shakirah

Country:
Malaysia/USA

 

Area of Work:
Education & Economic Development

 

Impact:
30 refugee women trained

 

Years in Partnership:
3

Rohingya Women’s Dev Network, Malaysia/USA

 

Sharifah Shakirah

Founder


"Because of ConnectHER, I could connect with my community in the US, especially women, and organize workshops to set up chapters of our organization. I got to know them better, and gave them a sense that they could be empowered and they could work if they wanted to. Their rights are similar to those of men. There are plenty of opportunities that we have introduced them to."

The Rohingya Women’s Development Network offers mental health training and support for displaced women.

Some 700,000 ethnic Muslim Rohingya fled Myanmar following attacks by security forces in 2016 and 2017. Although the physical impacts of this genocidal campaign have made news headlines, less well known is the mental health crisis suffered by hundreds of thousands of survivors of mass violence and displacement. More than 88 percent of Rohingya experience depression, 84 percent emotional distress, and 61 percent the symptoms of PTSD, according to a December 2020 Fortify Rights study in Bangladesh—symptoms that make daily functioning a challenge. Rohingya women face a double burden: the trauma of past violence and displacement and ongoing threats to their well-being such as domestic violence, trafficking, and child marriage.

To address this silent crisis, ConnectHER will fund the Rohingya Women’s Development Network’s mental health support trainings created by and for Rohingya women. Held online and in women’s community centers in Malaysia, Bangladesh, and the US, these trainings will provide a safe space for survivors to talk about the trauma they have experienced and to discuss solutions with their peers. In Malaysia participants will receive livelihood training as well—one of the most effective ways to build women’s confidence and gain buy-in from men for women’s empowerment.