Nine months after the first wave of the new arrivals reached Bangladesh... the emergency needs continue to grow, even as longer term planning is required to address the likely protracted crisis. In dozens of interviews with new arrivals, food was consistently cited as the primary concern. WFP was eventually allowed to supply emergency rations of 25 kilograms of rice per family every two weeks, a practice which continues at the time of writing this report. Despite this and supplementary nutrition kits distributed by NGOs, the new arrivals, lacking livelihood opportunities, continue to struggle to find enough food. The added demand also forced WFP to cut its rations across all nutrition programs in Cox’s Bazar by 50 percent. Imperfect coordination under the current humanitarian structure has also led to missed food deliveries and an unknown number of people being overlooked, according to aid workers and Rohingya with whom RI met during the mission. As a result, malnutrition rates remain high, especially for new arrivals, with children age six months to five years facing emergency levels of global and severe acute malnutrition.8 A WFP assessment in March indicated that only 18 percent of new arrivals reported an acceptable Food Consumption Score (WFP’s standard for adequate food consumption), compared with 59 percent of the UMN who were in Bangladesh prior to October 2016. As coping mechanisms, many new arrivals spend time foraging in the jungle, collecting vegetables or leaves to eat. Mohammed Ullah, a 42-year-old father from Buthidaung told RI, “I can live without food. I don’t mind. But I don’t want to see my children without food. This is a tragedy.” WFP runs an electronic voucher program in the official camps for those recognized by the government as refugees, and money is transferred to cards for refugees to spend in special local shops, allowing better tracking of food assistance and more choice for refugees. WFP is seeking to expand the program for targeted food assis- tance in the makeshift settlements housing UMN and new arrivals, but at the time this report was written, WFP was still awaiting approval from the Bangladesh government. With the rainy season, livelihood opportunities shrink even further. The Government of Bangladesh should allow WFP to implement this request and the international humanitarian community should supplement food aid during the rainy season. Inadequate shelter was another widely mentioned concern, both for the UMN and new arrivals. “We live in a jungle place with plastic on the ground and a black plastic roof,” Robi Alom, a 22-year-old man in Kutupalong makeshift settlement told RI. “There is just enough room to lay down.” Shobika, age 27, added, “We want to live in dignity. We don’t want to live like dried fish in this heat.” Following initial delays, IOM began providing emergency tarpaulins (“tarps”), providing more than 15,000 tarps and 4,000 canvas floor coverings in three makeshift settlements and within host communities ahead of the monsoon season. But the Government of Bangladesh limits building materials to non-permanent items, meaning that most structures consist only of mud, bamboo, and old plastic sheeting. Newer structures in the Balukhali camp, which houses new arrivals, are particularly vulnerable. Shelters were also cited by refugees and aid workers as the most common source of conflict in the makeshift settlements. How a shelter is built or altered may result in drainage run-off into a neighboring shelter or a new adjustment may encroach on the neighbor’s space. The lack of a protection presence and of developed governance structures, particularly among new arrivals, means that the simplest of communal conflicts risk going unresolved and spiraling into violence. These shelter-related protection gaps can be filled by developing camp management structures, allowing use of more durable building materials, and having contingency plans for rapid replenishment of materials in the case of emergencies, particularly during the monsoon season. The durability of structures can also be enhanced by distributing shelter kits, which include nails, washers, ropes, and other materials to better secure tarps, as well as by providing training on how to best secure makeshift settlements.9 9 www.refugeesinternational.org