Dreaming Beyond the Shelter Walls
Some sketches are neat and orderly, others full of wild green space.
One girl talks about wanting to decorate the walls of her shelter.
Another adds flowers along a walkway.
The conversation flows easily here, in a space where they feel comfortable and respected – something rare in the crowded, tightly controlled world outside this room.
The drawings were part of a research project exploring women’s and girls’ experiences of their built environment (their shelters) and their priorities for how these might be improved.
In a context where shelters are often small, overcrowded, and offer little privacy, the girls’ pictures were more than wishful thinking. They were a form of quiet resistance, a way to reclaim space, even if only on paper.
Small Acts of Beauty, Deep Acts of Courage
Back in their real shelters made of bamboo and tarpaulin, opportunities for personal expression are limited. Still, a few women have made small aesthetic changes: a curtain here, a carefully arranged corner there. But many were too shy to share photos of these small transformations, reminders of how personal and vulnerable such acts can be.
The Shantikhana itself stands in contrast to the shelters. Beyond being a centre for skills training or mental health support, it offers something less visible: a sense of control, continuity, and calm.
In a place where so much has been lost, it provides space for imagination, for planning, and for self-expression.
One woman described it simply: “This place saved my life.”
From Imagination to Design
The conversations and drawings from the workshop have also shaped practical change. The local team and technical advisors took inspiration from the girls’ visions, particularly the gardens, and integrated these ideas into a draft shelter upgrade design they hope to roll out. One version includes a small homestead garden, a reflection of what was imagined inside the Shantikhana.
In a setting where women and girls have little control over their physical surroundings, the act of drawing a garden, or talking about decorating a wall, becomes more than an aesthetic choice.
It becomes a way of asserting presence, dignity, and hope. A plan, not just a dream.
The story was from a research project called Amplifying Rohingya Women’s Shelter Priorities (ARWSP), a collaboration between CARE Bangladesh and the Global Shelter Team at CARE International UK.