11/03/2025
The Taste of Hunger
Twenty -year-old Hasan sat on the edge of a bamboo platform inside his shelter in Camp 13, his fingers tracing the faded numbers on his WFP ration card. He had only been in the camp for three months, but he had already learned that this small card meant survival. It was the difference between a full plate and an empty stomach. And now, it was losing its value. His mother’s voice trembled as she explained, “Next month, WFP will give us only $6 dollars. Half of what we have now.” Hasan’s heart clenched. Six dollars? How could they survive on that? Even now, with $12.5, they barely had enough rice to last the month. His little brother, Nur, often went to sleep crying, clutching his stomach. His mother, Mariam, skipped meals just so he and Nur could eat. But with $6 six dollars, what would happen to them? “Amma, what will we do?” he asked, his voice cracking. Mariam forced a weak smile, but her eyes glistened with tears. “Allah will provide.” But Hasan wasn’t sure anymore. He had seen the desperation in the camp. The thin faces, the hollow eyes, the way children scavenged for scraps near the food distribution center. He had hoped that maybe, just maybe, life here would be better than the horror they had escaped in Myanmar. He remembered the night they fled his father’s hurried whispers, the gunshots in the distance, the flames devouring their village. They had walked for days without food, crossing rivers, hiding in forests, until they reached the border. Here, in Bangladesh, they were safe. But what was the safety if hunger followed them everywhere? That night, he lay awake, listening to his mother’s quiet sobs. Nur whimpered in his sleep, too young to understand the full weight of what was happening. Hasan clenched his fists. He hated feeling helpless. Tomorrow, he would go out and look for work, even though the older boys told him there were no jobs for refugees. Maybe he could collect firewood, carry water, or even beg anything to help his family survive. But deep inside, a painful thought gnawed at him How much longer could they live like this? How much longer before hunger consumed them completely.
📸 MD Reaj Uddin Ksn