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DHAKA: As she prepared for Eid Al-Adha celebrations on Saturday, Nikash Tara could not recall the last time she served a proper meal for her family.

In the cramped camps of Cox鈥檚 Bazar, a nutritious meal was a near-impossible treat available only during special occasions and solely dependent on charitable contributions.

Most days, Rohingya refugee mothers like Tara could only rely on food rations, which have been slashed in recent years due to insufficient funding.

鈥淚t was probably during Eid Al-Fitr when we last had a truly nutritious meal 鈥� We survive on the food rations, which are not enough now. Sometimes, I skip meals so that my children can eat,鈥� Tara told Arab News.

鈥淲e get rice, lentils, and oil, but no vegetables, no milk. It鈥檚 hard to call it a 鈥榤eal,鈥� let alone nutritious.鈥�

Eid Al-Adha, known as the 鈥淔east of Sacrifice鈥� and one of the two most important holidays for Muslims, is the first time this year that the mother of three gets to serve meat for her family.

Eid Al-Adha commemorates the Prophet Ibrahim鈥檚 test of faith when he was commanded by God to sacrifice his son. To reflect his readiness to do so, Muslims around the world slaughter an animal, usually a goat, sheep or cow, and distribute the meat among relatives and the poor.

鈥淥n the occasion of Eid, we received a small portion of meat 鈥� I prepared a curry with potato and the meat I received. Although it鈥檚 not much in quantity, it made the children happy, as it is a chance to have a meal with beef for the first time this year,鈥� Tara said.

鈥淚t hurts me as a mother. My heart breaks when my children get excited over a single good meal. It reminds me how little they get on normal days. Eid should be joyful, but I cry inside, knowing my children are being deprived every other day of the year. I feel helpless.鈥�

Mizanur Rahman, refugee relief and repatriation commissioner in Cox鈥檚 Bazar, said this year the camps received 1,800 cattle and 350 goats for Eid sacrifice, donated by various Muslim and local nongovernmental organizations.

鈥淚n addition to that, different organizations and philanthropists promised to deliver 50,000 kg of fresh meat to be distributed on the day of Eid Al-Adha,鈥� Rahman told Arab News.

The donations will help Bangladeshi authorities to 鈥渞each many of the Rohingya families 鈥� (and) offer them a feast on the occasion of Eid,鈥� he added. 

Bangladesh hosts about 1.3 million Rohingya Muslims, who, for decades, have fled neighboring Myanmar to escape persecution, especially during a military crackdown in 2017 that the UN has been referring to as a 鈥渢extbook case鈥� of ethnic cleansing.

The majority of them now live in Cox鈥檚 Bazar in eastern Bangladesh, which has become the world鈥檚 largest refugee settlement. Over the years, humanitarian conditions in the squalid camps have been deteriorating, with aid continuously declining since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rohingya also have limited access to job opportunities and education.

With nobody able to earn a living, Mariam Khatun鈥檚 family was among those entirely dependent on food aid.

鈥淲ith little food aid and in a life with no earning opportunity, for my children, a decent meal is something unimaginable,鈥� Khatun told Arab News.

Though Eid was a joyful occasion, she said it was 鈥減ainful that joy comes only once or twice a year.

鈥淚t breaks my heart when the children look at the meat and ask: 鈥榃ill we eat this again tomorrow?鈥� I have no answer.鈥�

Before fleeing her village in Myanmar, the 29-year-old mother of two used to prepare spicy beef curry, her children鈥檚 favorite, frying the meat until it was crispy.

鈥淏ut here, I barely have them. We rely fully on the food rations, but the amount has been cut so much. It鈥檚 not enough for a full month,鈥� she said.

鈥淢aybe only on this Eid, we got a little meat. That鈥檚 the only time this year my children got something with some nutrition. We鈥檙e not living; we鈥檙e just trying not to starve.鈥�