Since the military coup in February 2021, the humanitarian situation in Myanmar has deteriorated.
The United Nations estimates that fighting has displaced 1.5 million people across the country. Many of them are also unable to relocate to safer locations due to insecurity.
In Myanmar’s northeastern Kachin and northern Shan States, over 121,000 people remain displaced. While the number of people forced to flee in these areas have increased since February 2021, the majority have been displaced for several years due to protracted conflict.
With EU humanitarian support, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) provides aid to those affected by conflict in the country’s northeast, ranging from life-saving assistance to resilience-building projects.
In Kachin and northern Shan States, sites for internally displaced people are often set up spontaneously. Host communities are often the first responders. In Waingmaw Township, the EU and UNHCR provide them with zinc sheets to build makeshift shelters.
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When displacement occurs, those who flee often carry only a few possessions with them. Across Myanmar, relief items consist of basic household items such as mosquito nets or kitchen sets. These items are handed over to those displaced.
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Udi Doi Ra, 56, and her family were displaced in 2011 when armed conflict forced them to flee their village. Prospects for return to their village remain slim due to continued fighting and insecurity. They hope to return to their homes one day.
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Displaced people have the right to adequate shelter. In this displacement camp in Waingmaw Township, UNHCR installed solar street lights to illuminate pathways and provide a sense of security.
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Ah Chi Mee, 38, a camp committee member, observes the construction of new shelters for her community. Happy to have a roof over her head, she helps to organise basic services. Many communal facilities, like water pumps, require care and maintenance.
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Daily life in a camp for internally displaced people in Waingmaw Township. Humanitarian assistance remains important. Still, some seek to achieve a greater degree of self-reliance, including through small plot farming and by rearing chickens and pigs.
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Zau Mun, 62, sits next to his shelter at a camp for internally displaced people in the Kachin State capital, Myitkyina. He runs a small shop selling basic supplies in the camp and takes on odd jobs outside for additional income.
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A woman holds a solar lamp provided by UNHCR in Namtu Township, northern Shan State. Many camps in northeastern Myanmar are not connected to the electrical grid. Solar lamps give residents a few additional hours in the evening for family tasks.
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Lum Zawng lives at a camp for internally displaced people in Waingmaw Township. Together with other volunteers, he provides support when repairs or rehabilitation are needed. Such self-help groups form the backbone of community resilience in many camps.
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Marip Kai serves lunch to volunteers next to her shelter in Waingmaw Township, Kachin State which is being repaired. The temporary shelter she lives in require maintenance following several years of use. Our partner UNHCR ensures shelter maintenance.
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Community empowerment is a key tenet of UNHCR’s assistance to displaced people in northeastern Myanmar. While humanitarian agencies like UNHCR provide basic support, communities have organised themselves to prioritise projects based on their own needs.
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Community volunteers at a camp in Kachin State help reconstruct a community hall. The initiative was kickstarted by the Kachin Youth Committee, consisting of internally displaced youth volunteers from different camps, trained by UNHCR in 2022.
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Thomas, 22, gives a tour to show infrastructural improvements organised by young people at a camp in Myitkyina, Kachin State. Youths have been trained to use their local knowledge to improve the camp environment through small grants disbursed by UNHCR.
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Community members from Sen Ja village in Namtu Township, northern Shan State, pose for a photograph in front of a newly completed community hall. The building was constructed to promote social cohesion between displaced families and their host community.
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Ndau La Raw, 46, outside a small shop next to his new home in Maina Sut Chyai, a new village in Waingmaw set up by internally displaced people in Kachin State. The EU and UNHCR built houses for each relocated family to help them restart their lives.
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A child uses a hand pipe installed by community members. Residents have been proactive in advocating for assistance in the form of key infrastructure. Apart from constructing shelters and a community hall, our partner UNHCR also helps install latrines.
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Story by Lim Wende and Fabien Faivre, UNHCR, Myanmar.
Publication date: 26/04/2023
