Two Rohingya refugee children from Cox’s Bazar join Sesame Street

Dhaka, Dec 18 (efe-epa).- Two Rohingya refugee children from Cox’s Bazar camps in Bangladesh will join Sesame Street, one of the most popular children’s programs around the world, so that it also reflects children from the ethnic minority group affected by a wave of violence that forced hundreds of thousands to flee Myanmar.

Sesame Street introducing the characters of the twins Noor and Aziz is a part of an initiative of the nonprofit “Sesame Workshop” that is behind the popular television series.

The move is a part of the Play to Learn program developed in partnership with Bangladeshi nonprofit BRAC, the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and New York University’s Global TIES for Children.

“Noor and Aziz are imaginary characters. These are very common name of Rohingya children. Our aim was create a Muppet which Rohingya children can relate with them, feel comfortable. This is why we chose these two names. Noor and Aziz very are familiar names to them,” BRAC Play to Learn project’s communication and advocacy team leader Suhany Zaimah explained to EFE.

The characters will appear in videos and storybooks for Rohingya children speaking in their own language.

Noor is “a confident girl who believes that there is no problem too big for her to try to solve” and “is deeply curious about how the world works and uses play to help her understand her world,” according to a statement by its creators.

Her brother Aziz “is a natural performer and storyteller; he loves to use his imagination to create and act out stories,” added Sesame Workshop.

The six-year old Rohingya twins will join other members of the Sesame Street family such as Elmo and Louie, and will feature in new videos on social-emotional learning, math, science, and health and safety on the Sesame Street International Social Impact YouTube channel.

Sesame Street’s Play to Learn program, rolled out in collaboration with the Lego Foundation, offers education to children living in the world’s largest refugee camp, in Cox’s Bazar, which is home to more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees who fled conflict in neighboring Myanmar, more than half of whom are children, according to the organization.

Nearly 738,000 Rohingya refugees are living in camps in Bangladesh since Aug 25, 2017, following a wave of persecution and military crackdown in neighboring Myanmar that the UN has described as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing and possible genocide. EFE-EPA

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