Hundreds of thousands of desperate Rohingyas have fled their homes in Myanmar to escape what the United Nations describes as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

When one-third of the Rohingya population had to flee the country, can you find a better word to describe it? asked an incredulous Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the U.N.

That was in September. Today, two months after Burmese authorities unleashed a horrific crackdown against the persecuted Muslim minority group, the number of refugees has already swelled beyond 600,000 well over half of Myanmars ailing Rohingya population.

Thousands more remain stranded in the countrys Rakhine State, engulfed by a crisis that continues to cause suffering on a catastrophic scale , the U.N. warns. Humanitarian groups have gathered evidence of abhorrent state-sponsored atrocities including rape, torture, shootings and arson. According to Amnesty International , many of these targeted assaults amount to crimes against humanity.

The sheer magnitude of the Rohingyas harrowing plight may leave you feeling helpless, but there are ways you can make a difference.