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Monday, 4 July, 2022 - Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: As part of their “Project for Improving Menstrual Health Management of Adolescent Girls and Women in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh”, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Korea International Development Agency (KOICA) are opening their first-ever Adolescent and Youth Center in the Rohingya camps.

 

The center was inaugurated today, on 4 July 2022, during a ceremony held in camp 13 by the Additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) of Bangladesh, Md. Shamsud Douza. UNFPA Deputy Representative, Dr. Eiko Narita; the Director of Korea International Agency of Cooperation, Ms. Young Ah Doh; and the Head of the UNFPA Sub-office in Cox’s Bazar, Ms. Roselidah Raphael also joined the inauguration alongside representatives of the project’s implementing partners, Mukti Cox’s Bazar and Prottyashi.

 

Both adolescent girls and boys and their caregivers will be served by the center located in camp 13. The center will be instrumental in educating and building the life skills of Rohingya adolescents and youth, with a particular emphasis on issues like menstrual health management, gender, sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), peaceful conflict resolution, and protection education.

 

The life skills education classes provided by the center will aim to raise awareness of menstrual health and hygiene among men and boys by integrating sessions on menstruation, SRHR and gender into their curriculum. The centers will also inform the community members of the available sexual and reproductive health and psychosocial support services (PSS), and livelihood skills training opportunities in the camps.

 

In the future, the project plans to open 7 more Adolescent and Youth centers in the Rohingya camps, as well as 4 centers located in school premises in the host communities of Ukhiya, Teknaf, Moheshkhali Upazila, and Cox's Bazar district. Once completed, a total of 17,160 adolescent girls and boys and caregivers are expected to benefit from the services provided by the centers.