Cash grants and new skills defeat despair in war-torn Myanmar

A Christian Solidarity International partner and beneficiary share joy in war-torn Myanmar, where cash grants and livelihood programs are combatting despair. Photo: CSI 

Thang Tuang, a 67-year-old widower with two disabled children and three grandchildren in his care, was feeling hopeless – unable to work while responsible for so many.

“The future seemed very dark to me. When the Sisters gave me the cash grant, I cried tears of joy,” Tuang said. The first thing he bought was desperately needed food and fuel for cooking. He also bought rice and charcoal.

“I am deeply grateful for the help I received. May God bless everyone who thought of me, helped me, and gave me new hope.”

“Before the war and violence, life was easier,” he reflects.

But five years after a military junta took power, and the country descended into a chaotic civil war, “poor people like us have become even poorer, and life is almost impossible to manage.”

Faced with rising costs and limited access to healthcare, education, and basic services, many Myanmar families are forced to make difficult choices, between eating less, taking on debt, or selling what few assets they own just to get by.

For widow Cing Lam Lian, 45, receiving a lump sum in cash enabled her to not only feed her children, but also to pay for their schooling.

“Receiving such a large amount at once meant so much to me. I immediately bought a sack of rice and some firewood and paid my children’s school fees,” she said.

“I am very grateful to the Sisters for noticing our situation and helping us. I thank God for the donors who generously support people in need. May God richly reward everyone who has helped us.”

Providing in times of scarcity

In Myanmar, men are vulnerable to forced conscription into the country’s terrible conflict, a situation which leaves women, children, and the elderly who stay behind economically fragile.

Communities in Chin State and Sagaing Region are particularly affected by insecurity, disrupted livelihoods and rapidly rising prices.

With the aim of helping to create sustainable means of livelihood, CSI funded a training program for young women to learn sewing and tailoring.

Thirty-three young women completed the training, more than the targeted number, while 13 trainees also gained practical work experience in two production centers.

One of them was 17-year-old Dim Lun Ciang.

“Life used to be normal, and everything worked as it should, even though we were poor. After the military coup, however, everything changed. Our sources of support disappeared, and our lives were turned upside down,” she reflected.

“Those of us who were students could no longer continue our education, and we had no work through which we could earn a living. It is almost impossible for young women to remain in Myanmar under these circumstances.”

However, life took a turn when she heard about the chance to learn tailoring with the local Sisters.

“We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped us learn this skill during such a difficult time. We are now able to start working independently and earning a living. We hope and believe that this will give us a brighter future,” said Ciang.

For Vung Bawi, 29, learning to sew clothing has empowered her to provide for more than half of her family’s needs.

“We have been affected in many ways since the coup. Sometimes we must flee our home and move to a safer place. Life has become extremely difficult, particularly when it comes to obtaining enough food each day,” she said.

The sewing workshop, for Bawi, was lifechanging.

“In the past, I could do nothing to earn money for my family. Now I have work that enables me to support them,” she said.

“I’ve started on a small scale by sewing for others. People place orders with me, and I am paid when I finish the garments.”

Bawi says her goal is that with time and effort, she will not only be able to contribute to her family’s needs, but begin to save for the future.