Under Fire, Under Water: Sustaining Humanitarian Assistance to Conflict-Affected Communities in Myanmar’s Karen State

Amid flooding and conflict in southeastern Myanmar, we talk to humanitarian workers supported by Community Partners International (CPI), who ensure that essential services reach communities in urgent need.

“The needs of communities are bigger than the challenges we face.”

“Yesterday, I tried to visit the field by motorcycle,” reveals May*, a project officer for a community-based organization in southeastern Myanmar. “But the engine stopped in floodwaters on the road outside of Hpa-An. I had to push it back to the office.”

For humanitarian workers like May, Myanmar’s monsoon season brings additional challenges in their efforts to support remote and conflict-affected communities with essential services. May works to provide humanitarian assistance to 87 villages in Kawkareik and Hpa-An townships in Myanmar’s Karen (Kayin) State.

“We install water tanks, tube wells and toilets, and build gravity flow systems to supply improved water,” she explains. “We also screen children for malnutrition, raise community awareness about health and nutrition, and conduct cooking competitions.”

Between June and October, when it rains frequently and heavily in this part of Myanmar, landslides and flooding can quickly make roads impassable and cut communities off from the outside world. Widespread conflict following Myanmar’s coup also makes it dangerous for humanitarian workers when they travel.

“The conflict makes it difficult for humanitarian workers to reach communities,” May confirms. “We feel stress and insecurity when we travel. We try to visit each village at least once per month. We mostly travel by motorcycle but this isn’t possible when there’s lots of floodwater on the road. So, sometimes we have to use cars or boats. If we can’t reach them at all, we try to communicate with village volunteers through the phone or internet.”

“Last year, while we were visiting a village, a landslide destroyed the road,” May recalls. “We were stuck there for a week.”

Nearly two million people are now displaced across Myanmar, 1.6 million of whom have been displaced since the February 2021 coup. More than 390,000 people are currently displaced in the southeast and ongoing flooding is increasing the pressure on vulnerable communities.

“The communities we serve are already impoverished,” explains May. “The flooding will damage their crops and rice seed stocks for the planting season. It also means they can’t access towns to buy food and other supplies. I worry that they won’t be able to get enough nutritious food. They need urgent food support and hygiene kits.”

May and her colleagues are persistent and dedicated. “No matter what challenges we face, we’re always thinking about overcoming them. The needs of communities are bigger than the challenges we face.”

“The villagers are concerned about food security and need our help.”

Rosy*, a field facilitator for the same organization in Kawkareik Township, tells a similar story. “I spend about fifteen days a month traveling from village to village,” she reveals. “I am now in the field to support nutrition activities. Six of the fifteen villages that I support are flooded. Their paddy fields are likely destroyed. The villagers are concerned about food security and need our help.”

“The most important thing they need is food,” Rosy continues. “Due to poverty, they won’t have stored much food for emergencies. Also, flooding brings diseases, so they need hygiene assistance.”

During her six years as a humanitarian worker, Rosy has seen significant progress in the communities she serves. “I help to raise awareness about nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene,” she explains. “It is very effective, particularly for pregnant and lactating women. They didn’t have proper toilets or handwashing units before. We helped install toilets, water tanks, and other facilities. We have received good feedback from the community. Their knowledge is improving and they are changing their nutrition and hygiene practices.”

Like May, Rosy is committed to her work. “No matter what challenges we face to reach these communities, we won’t give up. That’s our work.”

“Getting humanitarian aid to these conflict zones is getting riskier and riskier.”

Htoo* is a water, sanitation, and hygiene project officer covering 70 villages in Taungoo, Thandaunggyi, and Htantabin townships. He works for the same community-based organization as May and Rosy. “We build latrines, dig tube wells, and install water tanks,” he explains. “Many villages face water shortages in summer, so we focus on those.”

“To reach the farthest village, it takes around 12 hours on motorcycles due to the rough road, even in the dry season,” he reveals. “In the rainy season, there are some villages we cannot reach. We pass through the mountains, cross streams without bridges, and navigate very narrow roads carrying our loads. We make sure that our motorcycles are fixed and in good condition before we travel. If something goes wrong with them on the journey, we have the skills to carry out basic repairs by ourselves.”

Riding motorcycles through this difficult terrain is risky. “One time I had a motorcycle accident when traveling to a village,” reveals Htoo. “I was climbing a steep slope and the motorcycle fell back on top of me. My colleagues helped to lift the motorcycle off me. Luckily, I wasn’t seriously injured.”

Conflict also creates many challenges for Htoo and his colleagues. “We check before we travel to make sure it’s safe. Sometimes, we can’t use roads due to fighting in the area. We always feel at risk when we travel these days. We have to pass through security checkpoints and they check our phones, backpacks, and other materials and ask many questions. People have been displaced by fighting in one of the villages we serve in Thandaunggyi. Another village in Htantabin is currently affected by air strikes. Getting humanitarian aid to these conflict zones is getting riskier and riskier.”

* Names have been changed to protect privacy.