4  Improving the lives of Rohingya refugees in the medium to long term Refugees who participated in this research tended to identify three things that would make their lives better: education, improved living conditions and opportunities to support their families. This is in line with research identifying key coping mechanisms among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh as seeking a better future for their children, participating in religious practice, practicing good hygiene, spending time with family and working (Riley et al., 2017: 316). This chapter focuses primarily on the last strategy: work. Building on research on refugee livelihoods in other situations, including Rohingya refugees in Malaysia (Wake and Cheung, 2016) and Syrians in Jordan (Bellamy et al., 2016), this chapter considers what refugees did in Myanmar, what they are doing now and what they aspire to do in the future. 4.1  Rohingya refugees’ views on what would improve their lives Interviews with refugees clearly outlined what would make their lives in Bangladesh better and what their key priorities were. Women generally wanted better living conditions, including better shelters and a brighter future for their children. In our quantitative survey, the top responses were better shelters (39%) and education, whether in the Bangladeshi education system (29%) or with a Myanmar curriculum (25%). Other things that would improve their lives included better access to and quality of healthcare and improved WASH, rations and roads. According to the quantitative Figure 3: If you were to stay in Bangladesh for the next 5–10 years, what are the top three things that w  ould make your life better? Cash distribution 63% Better shelters 39% Access to the Bangladeshi education system 29% Right to work in the local economy 27% Food distribution 25% Access to healthcare 25% Access to education with a Myanmar curriculum 25% Freedoom of movement 17% Having official refugee status 11% Having official documents 7% Access to legal services and advice 6% Access to mental health and pyschosocial support 6% Other 2% Humanitarian Policy Group 17