08/28/2020 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – Nhkum Hka Ra, a 21-year-old liv­ing in Dum Buk village, is one of the tens of thou­sands of refugees who have lived in Myanmar’s internally displaced people (IDP) camps for over eight years.

Orphaned by their own country, the primarily Christian Kachin tribe has barely survived in the camps over the last eight years, as they sought refuge from the war between the government and the Kachin Independence army.

The suffering is far from over for these families, as many international aid organizations have shifted their humanitarian relief to the country’s Muslim Rohingyas.

For the 10,000 Kachin IDPs liv­ing in six different camps in Mai Ja Yang area controlled by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), half of the population is under the age of 18, and most of them are jobless students.

Nhkum lost her father when she was in elementary school, and her mother wasn’t able to work, leaving the family poor and destitute. Though she wanted to continue her education, circumstances forced her to stop in the 10th grade. Life in the camp was chal­lenging for both her and her family, physically and mentally. They always felt uncertain about their future. They always worried about what was to come.

Living as a woman or young girl in these IDP camps is a night­mare. They are easy targets for human traffickers, and often live in at-risk situations. Many feel hopeless and defeated due to the lack of job opportunities in the areas where they live. Some are totally dependent on humanitar­ian support from local NGOs for personal hygiene and other needs.

Making matters worse, strug­gling locals are wrongfully penalized under laws such as Article 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act, which punishes those suspected of affiliation with the KIO. Any civil groups provid­ing aid to the IDPs can be subject to false accusations that they are linked to the KIO, hindering relief efforts even more.

ICC recently launched a sew­ing training for more than 20 young women who dropped out of school or are living in a vul­nerable situation. We hoped that this training would give them the knowledge and leverage to stand on their own feet and use their God-given talents to create cloth­ing and accessories for sale.

After ICC launched its sewing program, Nhkum Hka Ra signed up. Following the training, not only did her skills grow, but she now aspires to receive advance training, so that she can one day open her own tailoring shop in the camp. She wants to thank ICC’s donors for providing training, meals, and materials, bringing her a step closer to her dream.

Another trainee, Myi Tung E Thi Ta (17), walked away from the training with a newfound knowledge of business and sew­ing. Growing up in two different IDP camps, she eventually had to abandon her education as resourc­es dwindled. After completing ICC’s training, she was able to imagine a sewing career in the future. At the training, she worked hard and was eager to learn from the instructors. Afterwards, she walked away with a new confi­dence in her own knowledge of how business works. For Myi, this basic sewing training is one of her major achievements in life. It represents a new chance at a future outside of the camps. Soon, she will start her own busi­ness. Soon, she will be able to dream again.

Thank you for empowering these IDP women so that their lives are no longer hopeless. They now have dreams that they are motivated to work toward.

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