Ata Ullah
Ata wants to tell the story about how education transformed his life while living in Kutupalong, the largest refugee camp in the world, after escaping Myanmar. Since establishing his own initiative to support children’s access to education, he equips children in the camp with digital skills to help them obtain resources and opportunities to continue their learning. With experience writing articles about life in Kutupalong, Ata is eager to inspire global action to meaningfully support children in refugee camps.
“Being part of the Theirworld journalism project has been one of the most transformative experiences of my life. As a Rohingya refugee living in the camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, accessing education in any field isn’t always possible. I never imagined that I would get a chance to be a part of this vibrant community that is working hard to be heard on global issues. Now, I am applying the knowledge I’ve learnt by utilising journalism toolkits to share the real struggles of my community. This project gave me a voice — and more importantly, it taught me that my voice matters.
Through the training, I discovered how to tell stories not only with facts, but with emotion, photos and voices from the ground. I learned how to structure interviews, ask questions and uncover stories that reveal both problems and solutions. Writing my article about the education crisis in the camps gave me the chance to highlight what children and young people like me face every day. It was not easy — I had to balance emotions with clarity – but the process made me a stronger communicator and storyteller.
Working on this project, I have learned more than I expected. There are some things I explored on the ground level of the camps regarding the harsh realities that I did not know about, but I had this chance to explore those realities.
We are all holding on to hope, even in a place where education is fading because of funding cuts and other barriers, where every opportunity is closed, and there is nothing to study, and they are not able to buy even books or pens. This is what I was able to collect: real testimonies that reflect the truth of our lives. This has made me realise that journalism is not just about reporting — it is about standing up for what is right and what is wrong for the unheard people. It has inspired me to continue raising awareness through my writing and doing advocacy on a global scale.
My observation with the experience of eight years in the refugee camp: refugee youths are not victims; they are hungry for opportunities. I am very optimistic that once they get the opportunity, they will conquer the world.”