Members of SURGE Bangladesh. Credit: SURGE Bangladesh
SURGE Bangladesh
Building peace between communities in Cox's Bazar
Peace is not declared, it is practiced
"Peace is not declared. It is practiced ¨C every day, by real people, in real places,¡± says , a youth-led organization working at the intersection of peacebuilding, social cohesion, and community development.
Based in Cox's Bazar and Dhaka and founded in 2015, SURGE brings together young people from both the Rohingya refugee community and the host community of Cox's Bazar to build the relationships, skills, and shared spaces that durable peace requires.
Youth as architects of peace
In Cox's Bazar, one of the world's largest refugee settlements, peace is not an abstract concept. It is a daily choice.
Since August 2017, more than 1.19 million Rohingya refugees have sought safety in Bangladesh after fleeing violence in Myanmar. They now live alongside host communities that face their own social and economic challenges. As pressure on resources grows and misinformation fuels mistrust, building understanding between communities has become both urgent and complex.
When the Rohingya influx began in 2017, SURGE was among the first youth organizations to respond on the ground. Nearly a decade later, it continues to invest in one powerful idea: young people are not merely beneficiaries of peace, they are its architects.
Members of SURGE Bangladesh at an event at Cox Bazar. Credit: SURGE Bangladesh
Trusted connectors across divides
Between 2019 and 2021, SURGE implemented a structured Peacebuilding Training Programme for young people from Cox's Bazar's host community. Across three cohorts, participants received intensive training in leadership, public speaking, conflict sensitivity, and community organizing.
But the programme did not end in the classroom.
Each participant developed and implemented a Community Action Plan, designing initiatives that addressed real challenges within both refugee camps and surrounding host communities. By turning learning into action, young people became trusted connectors across divides.
A scene from the Digital Khichuri Challenge 2022. Credit: SURGE Bangladesh
Innovation as a bridge
Peacebuilding requires new ways of thinking.
In 2022, SURGE partnered with the to implement the Digital Khichuri Challenge in Cox's Bazar, a social innovation hackathon focused on peace, tolerance, and social cohesion. Young participants worked together to design creative digital solutions capable of challenging harmful narratives and fostering understanding between communities.
For participant Mizan Rahman, the experience became a turning point.
Drawing on the skills and confidence gained through the programme, Mizan launched his own online and offline awareness campaigns promoting inclusion and community engagement. What began as an innovation challenge evolved into sustained local action, demonstrating how creativity can become a powerful tool for peace.
Recognizing each other¡¯s humanity
In 2024, SURGE launched its No Hate Speech campaign, recognizing that one of the most effective ways to challenge prejudice is to amplify authentic voices.
Among those voices was BM Anos, a Rohingya refugee, whose storytelling reached audiences across Cox's Bazar with a message of dignity, empathy, and coexistence.
"This is my home now ¡ª not by choice, but by necessity. Every day we face hardship, but what hurts most is not the hunger or the uncertainty. It is the hate speech. Online and offline, people say we do not belong. To my brothers and sisters, please see me as a human being ¡ª not a headline, not a hashtag,¡± he says.
His story resonated because it reminded people of a simple but powerful truth- peace begins when we recognize each other's humanity.
Building on this momentum, SURGE trained 30 young people from both Rohingya and host communities in storytelling, public speaking, and peacebuilding. Equipped with the skills to share their own experiences, participants became advocates for understanding and powerful voices against misinformation and hate.
Participant at a SURGE Bangladesh event. Credit: SURGE Bangladesh
Scaling what works
Today, SURGE is entering one of its most ambitious phases yet through partnerships with ActionAid Bangladesh and the Centre for Peace and Justice at BRAC University.
New initiatives are expanding opportunities for young people to lead peacebuilding efforts through:
- Interfaith dialogue workshops connecting Rohingya and host community youth;
- Trauma-informed peacebuilding sessions supporting adolescents affected by displacement and uncertainty;
- Community advocacy training that enables young people to engage with local governance and decision-making processes;
- Cultural fairs that celebrate heritage, creativity, and shared identity across communities; and
- Media consultations that encourage more balanced and conflict-sensitive reporting on refugee-host community relations.
A generation building peace
The story of SURGE Bangladesh is ultimately a story about young people refusing to accept division as inevitable.
Across refugee camps and host communities, they are creating spaces for dialogue where mistrust once existed. They are replacing harmful narratives with human stories. They are transforming innovation into action, and training into leadership.
In Cox's Bazar, peace is not being built through grand declarations alone. It is being built every day by young people who choose understanding over fear, cooperation over division, and hope over hostility.
Their message is simple- lasting peace is possible when communities are given the opportunity to build it together.