TİKA-TRT Collaborates to Offer “Journalism for Juniors” Program to Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

The “Journalism for Juniors” program, organized in collaboration with Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) and the Arakan Humanitarian Association, concluded at the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

A total of 70 students received certificates during the training, held at the TİKA Multi-Purpose Training and Culture Center in Camp 16. During the program, groups of young journalists produced 18 short films, demonstrating the knowledge and skills they had acquired in practice.

As part of the program, participants received intensive, hands-on training on topics such as the fundamental principles of journalism, ethical values, news writing, visual media techniques, mobile filming, mobile video editing and mobile journalism. The courses, conducted by TRT’s expert instructors, aimed to enhance young people’s media knowledge and skills, develop their critical thinking and encourage active participation in the news production process.

The curriculum covered core journalism topics as well as storytelling, creative writing, visual presentation, interviewing techniques, teamwork, presentation and translation skills. Participants also gained skills essential for the digital age, including video shooting and editing with mobile devices, digital storytelling on social media platforms and audience engagement.

The closing ceremony, held at the end of the training, was attended by TİKA’s Program Coordinator in Dhaka, Muhammed Ali Armağan; Deputy Secretary General of the Bangladesh Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, Muhammed Salih Ubeydullah; Camp 16 official, Rintu Vikas Chakma; officials from the field hospital of the Turkish Ministry of Health; as well as invited Rohingya refugees and students. Certificates were presented to participants who successfully completed the training at the conclusion of the ceremony.

The TİKA Multi-Purpose Education and Culture Center, where the training took place, opened in Camp 16 in 2023. The center, which includes a library, a conference hall and a music classroom, continues to host various cultural activities and training sessions. The Burmese-language books provided to the library are a first for the camps. The conference hall accommodates training sessions as well as meetings of civil society organizations and official authorities.

The Cox’s Bazar district, located near the Myanmar border, currently hosts one of the world’s largest refugee populations. Following the violence in Myanmar in 2017, approximately 750,000 Rohingya Muslims sought refuge in Bangladesh. Combined with previous and subsequent migrations, the number of refugees living in the region today has surpassed 1 million. These camps, concentrated in the Ukhiya and Teknaf districts, consist primarily of temporary shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulin. Living conditions in the camps are extremely difficult due to overcrowding, insufficient infrastructure and the risk of natural disasters. Access to clean water, healthcare, education and food security continues to depend heavily on international aid.