Since August 25, 2017, almost 750,000 Rohingya refugees have taken shelter in Bangladesh to escape persecution in their own country, bringing the refugee population in Cox's Bazar to around 1.1 million. During the reporting years, Bangladesh has had to bear the greatest impact of the worst humanitarian crisis in recent times. Similarly, the adjacent host communities have also become vulnerable with losing of their lands, sudden rise of the living costs, and massive degradation of the environment. NGO Forum has responded significantly with the support from the development partners like UNHCR, UNICEF, AAR Japan, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and ensured the quality WASH services including solid waste and fecal sludge management, livelihood support for the vulnerable communities, provided Biogas sanitation and cooking facilities. It has also provided the Protection Supports for Rohingya Refugees and host communities in Cox’s Bazar to mitigate the risks against any kind of violence that may a ect the lives of vulnerable women and children of the Rohingya community. NGO Forum’s intervention for reducing Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Child Protection initiatives in Rohingya Refugee camp area was significant during the reporting period. The major programmatic operations under its protection initiatives were number of awareness raising on protection issues in refugee context and psychosocial support for the identified trauma & necessitous victims, mainly targeting children, adolescents and women.

The Rohingya women have been involved in the income generating self-reliant activities which will contribute in women empowerment and reducing Gender Based Violence (GBV) as well. NGO Forum is an active member of ‘the Sphere Movement’ which aims to improve the quality of humanitarian work during disaster response.

NGO Forum's WASH response in the emergency situations like post cyclone, flood and any other disasters in collaboration with the government, development partners and relevant stakeholders has always remained an institutional mandate from its inception.