Langkawi, Malaysia – At a small seaside on the island of Langkawi, a gaggle of youngsters giggle and play, having fun with the solar and mild waves. Some construct sandcastles, and others play on the close by swing set. A small group are busy discovering shells and amassing them to current to their trainer.
The entire kids are Rohingya refugees. Some had been born in Malaysia, and others arrived by boat after fleeing persecution and violence in Myanmar. Arafat Mohammad supervises his college students with a smile. He remembers that it was not so way back that they had been all too afraid to step onto the sand, not to mention wade into the water.
“The kids was so frightened once they noticed the ocean. They at all times heard from their mother and father that the ocean is harmful, the ocean is the place their relations died throughout their boat journeys,” Arafat mentioned. “So the youngsters have trauma. They consider that in the event that they go to the seaside, they may die. By coming right here, I’m making an attempt to indicate them the seaside is the place they’ll play, and the ocean shouldn’t be solely a spot of loss of life.”
Arafat arrived in Langkawi in 2013. He had been working as a trainer in Myanmar. “By 2012, the Burmese army had already set hearth to most of the villages the place Rohingya folks lived. They had been doing it systematically, what they known as ‘cleaning the villages’,” he mentioned. “Individuals had been so frightened. In entrance of our eyes, infants had been killed. Girls had been raped.”
Arafat mentioned he had been concerned in aiding victims of sexual assault by the army to report their state of affairs to nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and request medical therapy. On account of his involvement with humanitarian organisations, he mentioned he was focused by the army. “The army surrounded my home, they took every little thing, even my books,” he mentioned.
Arafat left Myanmar by boat. When he arrived in Malaysia, he discovered casual work within the lodge sector. However he quickly felt compelled to start educating as soon as once more after realising the Rohingya kids in his new group had no entry to training. “I known as the mother and father and tried to persuade them of the significance of training, and that it’s a primary proper for youngsters. One after the other, the youngsters began to return to high school,” he mentioned.
Arafat now has 34 college students, aged between 5 and 12. Dad and mom pay a small price to cowl the prices, and the varsity can also be supported by native NGOs. “I train the youngsters English, arithmetic, social research and science. The teachings additionally embody the significance of hygiene, the right way to be respectful and present good manners,” Arafat mentioned.
“Malaysia has given us shelter. We’re grateful to the Malaysian folks. I respect that there are various completely different ethnicities in Malaysia, however right here they respect, they don’t hate. I need the youngsters to study that too.”
Malaysia shouldn’t be a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Conference or its 1967 Protocol. Refugees don’t have authorized standing to work or research, however many are capable of finding casual jobs. This typically signifies that a number of the mother and father are unable to commonly pay their college charges, although. “I inform the mother and father: Don’t really feel ashamed. Both method, the youngsters ought to continue to learn, whether or not they pay or not,” he mentioned.
“A number of the kids are already nearly youngsters they usually nonetheless can’t learn as a result of they’ve by no means studied earlier than. I inform them, that’s OK, we’ll begin with the alphabet, on the very starting. If they’ll learn and write, maybe they’ll have a greater future.”
