Find out what our partners have been doing to support those affected in the aftermath of the bombing.
The community of Munglai Hkyet, populated by civilians, was bombed just before midnight on the 9th October, 2023. The attack killed 29 people, including 12 children, two of whom attended our preschool centre here; which was also destroyed.
Children on the Edge have been supporting the provision of Early Childhood Education in the remote displacement camps in the mountains of Kachin State, Myanmar for over 10 years. The area is an active warzone, controlled by the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), one of several ethnic minority groups who have been fighting for autonomy for decades.
See what was left of the destroyed preschool building.
The Munglai Hkyet preschool centre was constructed with Children on the Edge funding in 2017, in the Woi Chyai camp. It is only a few hundred metres from the Chinese border, where it was thought to be relatively safe due to its close proximity to China. There were two preschool centres here, one thankfully remains intact.
Since the devastating attack, our partners on the ground in Kachin have been working to support those people affected. In the immediate aftermath, they arranged for families to be relocated into the Laiza area to take refuge in churches, tents and other people’s homes.
Their offices were also used as shelter for staff and their families who were affected by the bombings. The offices’ proximity to the Chinese border offered some degree of safety from further attacks.
Food provisions were arranged for those who lost their homes and were displaced by the fighting. Warm clothing and blankets were also provided as the winter season began. The distribution of warm clothing is a long-standing part of our programme in Kachin State, and takes place each year, but this is all the more urgent given the circumstances after the attack.
To help support the youngest children, staff and teachers from our preschool centres have been visiting families affected by the bombings in order to provide care, counsel, and play opportunities for preschool aged children whilst in their temporary homes.
Our partners are now working with officials to identify new safe areas for people from Munglai Hkyet to relocate to and shelter construction is now underway for 26 families whose homes were destroyed. These new sites will also remain closer to the Chinese border.
