UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom Visits Rohingya Refugee Camps
Orlando Bloom, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, traveled to Bangladesh to witness firsthand the effects of significant cuts in official development assistance (ODA) on half a million children living in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar.
Impact of Funding Cuts on Children
More than 300,000 children face the risk of losing access to education in 2026 as global funding continues to decline. During his four-day visit, Bloom met with children, families, and aid workers to gauge the severity of these challenges that endanger education, health, protection, and survival for children in the world’s largest refugee camps.
“The children in these camps are 100 per cent dependent on aid, but that aid is sadly shrinking,” said Bloom. “I met 14-year-old Aziz who told me he dreamed of becoming an engineer so that he could build a drone to show the world how much help Rohingya children need. These children need an education in order to have a future.”
School Closures and Education Crisis
In June 2025, UNICEF had to temporarily close most schools in the Rohingya camps, affecting nearly 150,000 children due to funding shortages. Although learning resumed recently after emergency fundraising, a looming funding shortfall in early 2026 threatens to shut down all schools again, leaving over 300,000 children without education.
Summary
The ongoing cuts in aid severely jeopardize the futures of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya children by threatening to deprive them of essential education and support.