Rohingyas' access to balanced diet a major concern: UN study

DHAKA: According to a new United Nations study, most Rohingyas have a limited access to getting a nutritious and balanced diet, despite the fact that more than 90 per cent of them have received emergency food assistance.

As per Daily Star, the study was carried out by the Rohingya Emergency Vulnerability Assessment (REVA), in collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Food Security Sector (FSS) between November-December 2017.

Farhan Haq, the Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said: "WFP will scale up its e-voucher programmes in 2018 to reach new arrivals in Cox's Bazar." 

"Currently, some 90,000 people are enrolled in WFP's e-voucher programmes, under which they receive a monthly amount on a pre-paid debit card, which can be used in allocated shops to buy 19 different foods, including rice, lentils, fresh vegetables, chilis, eggs and dry fish," added Haq.

Haq also clarified that the WFP was providing food vouchers to more than 7,00,000 Rohingya refugees.

The study comes after a day after another report by the NGO 'Save the Children' said that more than 48,000 babies would be born in Bangladesh within this year. 

As of December 2017, an estimated 6,55,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh to avoid persecution from the security forces that started in Myanmar's Rakhine state in August last year. 

There are more 3,00,000 Rohingyas living in Bangladesh, who fled in earlier waves of violence from the Myanmarese Government since the last three decades.