THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Special Project

Special Project
From the 12th Annual Shorty Awards

Fortify Rights/Doha Debates Rohingya Instagram Fellows

Finalist in Instagram

Objectives

In the world’s largest refugee camp, Doha Debates and human rights organization Fortify Rights are training young Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh—survivors of genocide in Myanmar—on the basics of photography. We equipped three "media fellows" with mobile phones and they are now documenting their lives inside Cox's Bazar refugee camps for an entire year on Instagram. Fortify Rights is bringing their expertise in the region and with Rohingya communities, and Doha Debates is helping fund and editorially guide the project. Through their powerful photographs and earnest commentary, Dil, Omal and Azimul have given us a rare and inside look at what life is really like for young Rohingya refugees who survived the world’s latest genocide.

Strategy and Execution

Fortify Rights has provided on-the-ground media training for the Rohingya fellows in Cox’s Bazar. The fellows are connected to staff at Fortify Rights and Doha Debates to help them navigate publishing on Instagram and help hone their storytelling from the camp. 

Results

The three fellows have amassed thousands of followers organically since the project launched. But beyond their own profiles, Dil, Omal, and Azimul have had their photographs printed and featured at an Amnesty International Thailand art exhibit and together they even took over the @EverydayAsia Instagram account for a whole week, where their photos reached the account’s nearly 200k followers. 

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Doha Debates

Links

Entry Credits