Give Hope to Mothers in Myanmar with Baby Kits

Despite the ceasefire agreements in Karen State, the violence continues. In March this year, more than 2,500 people were displaced in Mu Thaw District, Karen State. At the start of the year, the construction of a military road through local villages and farmland in the area caused damage to local property and farmland and led to an influx of soldiers seeking to recruit people for forced labour. The thousands of villagers who have fled their homes to avoid the violence are highly concerned about their livelihoods in the upcoming year.

In June this year, members of the health team responsible for distributing the baby kits set off to reach the newly displaced communities in Karen State to provide them with much needed comfort and hygiene equipment. When we visited this project in July, we heard of the dangers they encountered and the hardships faced by the displaced. The team took extra baby kits with them, which proved to be of great comfort, even to mothers who had already given birth.

Thanks to their bravery, this program has been able to provide crucial assistance to thousands of newly displaced people in Karen State.

This project also continues to distribute baby kits to new mothers and their babies who have been displaced in other parts of from Karen State; providing basic hygiene and health supplies that are essential elements of maternal and infant care. Nutrition education and women's health education activities in the refugee community on the Thai/Myanmar border have also been increased. These activities have improved food security, awareness of critical issues relating to health and hygiene, and general sanitation in the camps.