Myanmar: Restoring hope to families of the missing

I started my assignment on Myanmar in April 2023, and since arriving Yangon in May 2023, I was fortunate in the months that followed to visit other states and regions where we had offices and activities; Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay, Lashio, Myitikyina and Sittwe. 

At the time I wrote this piece, it was just shy of two years since I arrived Myanmar and reflecting on my time there, there was a lot to say, as my mission was anything but straight forward. 

In 2021, a military coup happened and was widely covered. This coup has had far reaching consequences on the humanitarian landscape in Myanmar; limited access, a shrinking humanitarian space and uncertainty with operations given the security constraints.

With the intensification of the conflict in Myanmar since late 2023 and the resulting humanitarian consequences, many families lost contact with a loved one. Protection of Family Links (PFL) is a part of the Protection work we do at the ICRC. The goal is to provide answers to family members separated from their loved ones due to conflict, detention, migration or natural disasters. When we are able, we reunite families with missing loves ones, especially children. The part of reunification is always a joy to behold and to be part of.

Security considerations have changed drastically and visits to our offices are not as easy as they once were. It took me over a year to make it to Rakhine state for example, located in West Myanmar, where we have the biggest caseload for the programmes I oversee. As the plane landed on the wet runway during the cyclone season, finally! I thought to myself - I made it to Sittwe, this part of the country I had been trying to get to for over a year.

Riding with volunteers in Tanzania

For the past year, I have lived in Kibondo in Western Tanzania, where I worked closely with the Tanzanian Red Cross. I'm describing one of many days working with the Red Cross volunteers in one of the three refugee camps, Nduta refugee camp, which is home to nearly 100,000 people...  

I wake up to crows making loud caws and take a look at the time. It's 7am already and the day awaits.

I get ready and off we go to Nduta camp, the camp is about 36.2 sq km
There are close to 300,000 refugees in the three camps in Tanzania. Although there is no conflict, the country has become a safe haven for people from nearby countries ridden with different forms of conflict.

Bumping and jostling in the car with every movement, the dust is all I see ahead of me as there is no tarmac. We arrive at Nduta just in time to catch the morning meeting. Right after the meeting, on cue, bicycles are rolled out. This is the daily routine. The volunteers ride the rocky paths of the camps to deliver family news to their fellow refugees. For some refugees, this is the only way to get any assurance of their family member's well being. They cherish these moments. Sitting at different call centres where we provide free phone calls to the refugees, I smile all the time till my face hurts. I see the way their faces light up when they hear a loved one's voice and it warms my heart.