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Honoring and Preserving Shared Human Journeys

We believe that every story holds the power to shape the future. By combining meticulous archival preservation with visual and qualitative advocacy, we connect individual voices to global dialogues.

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The Refugee Archive's Country Portfolios

Story to Action Lab

Portfolios dedicated to bridging narrative to policy & programming across multiple displacement contexts.

Rohingya (Bangladesh)

Updated 2026: Story to Action Lab Partner, Ziabul Hossain Foundation

Cox's Bazar

Rohingya: Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

In Cox's Bazar, our Lab centers on Rohingya families living in long-term displacement in Bangladesh while remaining stateless, with citizenship rights denied for decades. The camps hold one of the world's largest, most protracted displacement situations, where everyday life is shaped by congestion, restricted movement, protection risks, and ongoing uncertainty about the future. UNHCR notes Rohingya refugees are hosted across 33 camps in Cox's Bazar, with additional relocations to Bhasan Char since 2021.

Our oral history work in this setting focuses on documenting women's decision-making, family survival strategies, and the realities of raising children without legal status. These testimonies can help humanitarian and government actors understand what policies and programs look like in practice, and where gaps in protection and assistance continue to shape outcomes for women and children.

  • Statelessness: Rohingya statelessness is closely linked to Myanmar's 1982 citizenship law, which rendered many Rohingya without nationality.

Partner

Ziabul Hossain Foundation Logo

Ziabul Hossain serves as a Regional Partner for The Refugee Archive and the Story to Action Lab. Established in 2017, the Ziabul Hossain Foundation provides a community-centered framework for storytelling, research, and documentary work. The foundation supports female-headed households and Rohingya refugee women through sewing and tailoring training, literacy programs, and livelihood opportunities, creating safe spaces for women to reclaim dignity and economic independence.

Oral Histories & Testimonies

Sakena's Story — Episode 2

Sakena's Story — Episode 3

Sakena's Story — Episode 4

Kolima's Story — Episode 1

Kolima's Story — Episode 2

Active Campaigns

Oral Histories

Preserving narratives of female heads of household living in current displacement settings in fragile places.

Explore

FHH Policy Tracker

A student-led policy tracker, examining how national laws shape the lives of displaced single mothers and female-headed households across conflict and displacement settings.

Explore

Oral History Education
Program

Custom-built, multilingual training program that equips Story-to-Action Lab partners to ethically collect historical and present-day testimonies from single mothers and female heads of household amid ongoing displacement. Delivered through a hybrid learning portal with interactive modules, live classes, and mentorship throughout each partnership.

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