AN emergency responder from Bradford-on-Avon has travelled to meet Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh just before Pope Francis made his first official visit.

Zoë Corden works in international development charity CAFOD’s Emergency Response Team and has just returned from Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, where she met some of the Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Rakhine state in Myanmar.

More than 624,000 people are now estimated to have fled to Bangladesh, and the Bangladeshi government says that 4,000-5,000 people continue to arrive daily.

Schools, parishes and community groups across Wiltshire have been fundraising and organising events to support the Rohingya refugees and other projects throughout Bangladesh.

After returning from her trip, Zoë thanked the local Wiltshire community who have donated so much to the appeal and shared the stories of the refugees she met.

Zoë said: “I met Solima when she was only 15 days old, and had known nothing but trauma in her short life.

“Wounded and hungry, she was held in her mother’s arms among hundreds of people sitting on the ground at the entry point to Bangladesh, just waiting in eerie silence.

“Solima was also malnourished, her mother told me, because they could not find enough food during the long journey.

“After several days walking through the jungle, the family reached the border, where they waited for three days before being allowed to cross by boat. With no food or money, they survived by begging from other refugees.

“Most families are living in small shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulin that they have built themselves. They are squeezed eight, nine, ten people to a hut – with extended families often joining those who have arrived earlier.”

Pope Francis recently returned from a visit to the two countries at the centre of the refugee crisis – Myanmar (formally Burma) and Bangladesh - where he met Rohingya refugees.

“International attention on the crisis has allowed aid agencies like CAFOD, and its local partner Caritas Bangladesh, to respond quickly and effectively,” Zoë said.

“This wouldn’t be possible without the support of local communities, like those in Wiltshire, who have responded to the appeal so generously.”

CAFOD’s partner Caritas Bangladesh is distributing emergency food supplies to refugees in the camp. They also are preparing to provide blankets, warm clothes and sleeping mats to offer some more warmth and dignity during the colder nights.