Sabekur Nahar is a 24-year-old living of the Balukhali refugee camp in Bangladesh, where she lives with her husband and three children. Despite having her secondary education cut short due to the challenges faced by many Rohingya girls, Sabekur found creative expression through tailoring and embroidery, skills she learned from the women in her community.

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'If our villages had high schools like those in Bangladesh, our dreams wouldn’t be left unfulfilled,’ —said Sabekur.

 

Originally aspiring to be a designer, Sabekur found a different path to creative expression. In 2012, she learned tailoring and embroidery from women in her community. She used to craft various items such as clothing for UNHCR orphan children, school bags, and embroidered hijabs in Myanmar.

 

‘Our Rohingya community has a rich tradition of needlework, and I found joy and a sense of accomplishment in it.’ —she explained.

 

After relocating to Bangladesh, Sabekur’s journey took her through various roles—from teaching at a BRAC learning center to working in DRC’s protection sector and spending four years in IOM’s site management. Currently, she is employed at the Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre, where she had the opportunity to explore photography through a masterclass, ultimately joining the Rohingyatographer Magazine. Shabukur finds fulfilment in her current role, as it enables her to capture the authentic struggles and lives of the Rohingya. 

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‘I am content because my work now serves as a lens into the realities of my community.’ —Sabekur explained.