Her Hope is "Maybe..."

"Here, They Kill With Humiliation"

K. Fatema

In a First 1000 Days class, every mother introducing a new toy from their Breathe Life issued yellow string bag, the soft clatter feels like a small victory. It's one of many things K. Fatema has come to cherish in the quiet, everyday moments of motherhood.

Many moms in the class, like K, cannot recall being played with as children. After surviving conflict and genocide, play is a luxury activity that must be taught.

“I’m learning how to playing with my kids will make their brains smart," K said. "Also, how to keep them from dangerous things, what is good food, what is bad food, and what is hygienic.” 

These are all things she might have learned from female relatives in her home village of Kwan Sa Da Bil. In 2014, two years after a wave of violence and genocide erupted in Myanmar, K fled her village in the Rakhine state. 

She traveled by boat to Thailand with relatives and neighbors, aided by a human broker. The crossing took six days. On several occasions, K could recall sharks swimming past or circling the boat. Twice, the boat was stopped by navy patrols. Both times, the broker paid for their release.

Life in Malaysia has been safer than in Myanmar, but far from easy. Less than a year after K arrived in Malaysia, she was arrested by immigration officials. A family member paid for her release. In 2016, after giving birth, she received her UNHCR refugee card. That used to be the case for many Rohingya families; however, since COVID, not even the birth of a new child is a guarantee of refugee documentation.

“In Myanmar, they kill with shooting,” she said. “Here [in Malaysia], they kill with humiliation.” Work is hard to find. Children’s education is limited. Finances remain a constant struggle. And on top of it all, Rohingya are often ethnically targeted and ridiculed by Malays, rather than being welcomed into the Muslim community.

Now a mother of three, K first connected with Breathe Life during her last pregnancy. Though all three of her children were born via C-section, this was the first time she had support. Through prenatal classes and the “First 1000 Days” program, she received more than just a birth bag. She found community, knowledge, and hope. For many Rohingya mothers like K, education about birth and early childhood isn’t just empowering—it’s rare. 

Still, Breathe Life has offered a foothold—a way to move forward even in limbo. K took classes on nutrition, breastfeeding, hygiene, and child safety. Some of it was brand new, even after two births. “She didn’t know how to burp a baby before,” explained a staff interpreter from Breathe Life. “This time, her child has no tummy pain!”

The financial burden of childbirth is the most challenging, even for K’s happy family. Her first baby’s hospital bill was nearly $2000 USD, and the subsequent two were both about $710 USD. For context, the average minimum wage job pays approximately $400 USD per month, assuming that the worker’s boss doesn’t use knowledge of their documentation status to pay them less. 

What keeps her going, she says, is hope. “Maybe one day we can go back to our country or be resettled.” Until then, she’s raising her children in a place of safety, one small act of care at a time. She “loves coming to the classes” that are “better than sitting at home. When everybody comes, I want to learn something.”