In June 2025, Rohingya photojournalist, Sahat Zia Hero, and Australian photographer, Victor Caringal, worked together to produce a series of photographs that showed how the Rohingya have adapted to daily life in the Kutapalong refugee camps in Bangladesh. This photo series is part of the taro leaf project, an advocacy project that uses the taro leaf as a symbol to tell the story of Rohingya statelessness.
Eight years ago, more than 700,000 Rohingya arrived in Bangladesh, fleeing a targeted campaign of extreme violence at the hands of Myanmar’s military.
Zia and Victor reflect on this collaborative work:
Zia: “Photographing together was really nice. The topic we chose was ‘making a mark’ because our ‘mark’, our identity, our culture and history is being erased. And we have the other challenges of life in the camps – lack of access to education, opportunities for livelihood, healthcare and many things. So we’re trying to make a mark through our art, drawing, poetry, and photography, to keep our culture alive, to keep our identity alive and to remind us who we are. We don’t want to be forgotten.”
Victor: “It was a privilege to walk through the camps with Zia. We spent a day photographing, yet only covered a fraction of the city-sized mega camp. But that short time was rich with stories and life, which I hope translates through in the images we’ve chosen.”
The accompanying text to these photos is from Zia and Victor.
A lone Rohingya man walks through the Kutapalong refugee camps.
© Victor Caringal
In 2017, large forest areas were cleared to make way for shelters as more than 700,000 Rohingya fled violence in Myanmar and sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh. Some of the foliage has now regrown, providing much needed shade in the heat of the densely populated camps, but it also marks eight years of separation from their homeland that the Rohingya have faced.
A Rohingya woman walks into MSF’s Balukhali clinic in Kutapalong refugee camp, Bangaldesh.
© Victor Caringal
A man repairs his shelter in the Kutapalong camps.
© Victor Caringal
Shelter on an unstable slope.
© Zia Sahat Hero
A Rohingya girl studies in her shelter.
© Zia Sahat Hero
Recent aid cuts have left learning centres closed and contracts terminated for 1179 local teachers within the camps. Education is one of the few opportunities Rohingya youth have to improve their situation.
Childrens play and imagination.
© Zia Sahat Hero
Children’s play and imagination create moments of relief from daily challenges in the camps. Their vision of a better future are not only expressions of hope but also a way to manage and process the difficult realities around them.
A child overlooks the camps from an eroded hill top.
© Zia Sahat Hero
Rayhana Rohingya food stall owner in her shelter.
© Zia Sahat Hero
A young child seen through the tarpaulin.
© Zia Sahat Hero
A chicken in a makeshift coup in front of a makeshift shelter.
© Victor Caringal
A daily worker prepares bamboo materials for building and repairing shelters.
© Zia Sahat Hero
A bridge crossing separates camp districts in Kutapalong refugee camp.
© Victor Caringal
A man is transported to a health facility.
© Zia Sahat Hero
"I want the world to know that Rohingya people are human beings. We exist. We deserve peace, knowledge, and dignity — just like everyone else.” Sahat Zia Hero.
