The loss of agrarian livelihoods has a greater impact on poorer families A single mother from rural Maungdaw Township is responsible for the care of her daughter as well as a severely disabled sister. She explained the difficulties of life in both Myanmar and Bangladesh. “Things were more difficult overall in Myanmar…but daily life is more difficult in the camp. This is because in Myanmar, I had my one kani [onethird acre] of land to cultivate. I did that, received WFP rations, and also had some help from my neighbors. Here I have only rations. So I had three forms of support in Myanmar and here I only have one.” People still hope to reclaim land and other assets, but fear they are permanently lost For some, relatives and neighbors are guarding abandoned assets Several people interviewed for this study expressed hope that their land, some of which is currently being kept fallow by order of local authorities, might be protected until their return. The reality is that fallow lands are vulnerable to confiscation. Myanmar’s law governing vacant, fallow, or virgin land was amended in 2018 and now requires all landholders to apply for a 30-year land-use permit or face eviction. Displaced people are unable to pursue this administrative procedure.30 A 60-year-old farmer from Buthidaung explained his current agreement with a neighbor. “Before fleeing I hurriedly gave possession of my livestock—cows and goats—to my [ethnic] Kami and Mro neighbors, who are still watching them. We are still in good contact…The Kami neighbor and I have known each other for a long time. He is living on my land. Ever since he moved there years ago, we have had a good relationship. He cares for my cows. I am letting him take ownership of all the calves that have been born since I left. He can keep them as his own.” A father whose teenage children were unable to flee with the rest of the family and are living in the family home in downtown Maungdaw was aware of this vulnerability: “I still have land, but in a rural area. My children cannot go to the farm there. It is still not lost, but someone could take it at any time even though I do still have the land title.” AID, INCOME, AND COST OF LIVING Aid allows refugees to survive, but it is not sufficient to address their longer-term goals and needs. Under the leadership of the government of Bangladesh, the UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration, a broad range of actors, including leading international NGOs and national and local Bangladeshi organizations, are providing aid to camp residents to meet their food, shelter, and other survival needs. But despite continuing improvements to camp infrastructure, Rohingya describe camp life as uncomfortable and devoid of opportunities to save or invest in their families’ future. Many people interviewed stated that they could not fathom living in the camps long-term. A formerly affluent 43-year-old father of 10 children described the emotional trauma he experienced from the seizure of his assets, but expressed his remaining hope to reclaim them: “In Myanmar, my economic situation was good. I was running my business well. I had 70 tons of wood stored near downtown Maungdaw—a whole lumberyard. It was taken by Rakhine people after I arrived here. I called my friend who lives downtown still. He told me that it was all taken. I felt very, very upset. For two months I couldn’t even see straight. I just sat and thought about all my losses, all the time. Eventually I came to terms with it, because worrying won’t help. I controlled my tension. My kids said to me, ‘Papa, don’t worry, we can get back the property if you stay strong with us now. We will get it back when we return.’ The village administrators have ordered that Rohingya lands should not be sold or taken. Our lands are waiting there for us. The authorities announced that because all lands are technically government owned, no one is allowed to sell or transfer them. We could sell and transfer land titles communally when we were there.” Camp residents estimate the monthly cost of living per household to be 7,978 taka. Food needs are partially covered by rations provided either in kind or in the form of an electronic voucher. Refugees receive the monthly equivalent of about 840 taka per person in food aid, or 5,040 taka for the average six-member household (figure 28). Costs other than food may be addressed by other forms of aid, such as kits containing hygiene products and other household items. But this varies widely among the camps, depending on how the agencies tasked with providing services approach their work. 28