Since their brutal seizure of power in February 2021, the Myanmar military junta has waged a violent campaign of terror against its own people. Across the nation, these attacks have decimated infrastructure and driven 2.3 million innocent civilians from their homes.
Over the past twelve months, Karenni (Kayah) State has seen some of the most intense fighting in Myanmar. Though the Karenni people have been resisting military rule for decades, their response to the coup was particularly fierce, with tens of thousands of Karennis taking to the streets in protest. In response, the junta’s forces unleashed waves of indiscriminate bombings leaving the state’s primary urban centres virtually uninhabitable.
Today, over 40% of Kayah’s population is displaced, mostly sheltering in Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps in remote, mountainous areas where the thick jungle provides a measure of safety. 70% of people in these camps are women and children.
Against this grim backdrop, along with our partners, Coordination Team for Emergency Relief (CTER) and Karenni National Women’s organisation (KNWO), Children on the Edge have worked to provide lifesaving food supplies to 8,960 people in the most inaccessible areas. Shipments of rice, cooking oil, and beans were organised in Thailand and transported hundreds of kilometres into Karenni State by boat, truck, and, eventually, hand-carried.
We have also supported the establishment of Early Childhood Development (ECD) spaces where nutrition and care is given to children ages 3-6. In four centres, children can enjoy a safe and creative space, where they are buffered from the chaos of their surroundings.
They enjoy art activities, stories, skits, nap time, and nourishing meals of boiled eggs, rice, chicken or pork stew, protein rich ingredients which are critical to young children’s cognitive and physical development.
With the front lines of conflict moving constantly and civilian areas regularly targeted, these efforts have required a great deal of adaptability and perseverance. We are proud to be one of very few programmes able to provide support and care for children in these remote camps.
Children on the Edge is now hoping to take the next step in developing the Early Childhood Development work in Karenni State, just as we have done in Kachin State.
