A program pledging US$70 million to help war refugees in Kachin and northern Shan states over the next two years has been announced by an umbrella group of seven NGOs including the Myit Tar Foundation and the Kachin Baptist Convention.
The plan was announced at a press conference on July 24 at the Summit Parkview Hotel in Yangon.
NGOs estimate there are between 80,000 and 100,000 Kachin persons displaced from their homes because of ongoing conflict in the region.
Many are sheltering at makeshift camps throughout Kachin State while others have sought refuge in China.
“It is difficult to supply aid to camps under KIO [Kachin Independence Organization] control,” said Sai Samm Kham, the chairperson of the Myit Tar Foundation.
The agenda for distribution of the $70 million includes vocational training, educational support for children, and food-building programs.
The seven-group consortium said it also wishes to resettle refugees to their local villages if the opportunity arises and the security situation allows.
