Avoiding hunger in Myanmar communities
For families displaced by armed conflict in the context of COVID-19, finding ways to cover daily expenses may not be easy. “Today we received our first monthly food ration of 2022,” says Rawi, a farmer from Mee Taik village, Maungdaw township. “As the breadwinner for my family, I have to work hard every day. It’s hard to earn a living.”
The ICRC has been assisting the Mee Taik village community since 2017 with rations of essential products such as rice, sugar, salt, peas, oil and soap. “Most of the families here support themselves by cultivating the land, and so do I. In my small garden, I grow chili peppers, okra, pumpkin, brinjal, cucumber and tomato,” explains U Rawi. “All the seeds come from the ICRC. I received them in December last year and now they have grown. We eat part of the vegetables, and the rest we sell in the market.”
In January 2022, our teams visited seven village tracts and three displaced persons settlements in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships, providing financial assistance to around 400 families to help them support themselves. In addition to supporting their livelihoods, the ICRC Maungdaw team also delivered food to more than 9,000 families in 65 villages in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships to prevent the communities from going hungry.