Dear John,

Shah Alum has always dreamt of being a teacher. And he was on his way to achieving this dream when he had to flee his home in Myanmar.

Across the border in Bangladesh, Shah and his family found safety in one of the camps in Cox’s Bazar, but there was no opportunity for Shah to complete high school, let alone attend university. His studies were put on hold until an exciting opportunity arose for him to become an instructor in a learning centre.

Now, Shah is teaching a class of about 40 Rohingya children with the support of Minhar Begum, a fellow teaching assistant from the local Bangladeshi community.

After receiving training from UNHCR, the pair have now worked together for several years. They teach an informal curriculum that covers basic literacy and numeracy, along with some Myanmar language and life skills.

Shah said: “When we teach together, it’s easy to coordinate the class. She can be at the front, maybe explaining something, and I can be at the back. We can focus on every student equally.”

By pairing up Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis like Shah and Minhar, we are not only helping to address a shortage of Rohingya teachers, but also providing jobs for people in the local community too.

Having found his calling, Shah is now helping other refugees to keep their own dreams alive.

Thank you for supporting UNHCR. If you’d like to contribute to our work providing education opportunities for refugee children, please donate online now.

Thank you,

Breno Valentini
International Supporter Care
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency