Rakhine is one of the least developed areas of Myanmar with the highest unemployment rate and lowest labour force participation in the country, according to the 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census. Such issues are complemented by chronic poverty and a lack of access to livelihood opportunities and quality health and education services. Affected communities in the region such as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are particularly exposed to these factors.
To support some of the most vulnerable members of society in Rakhine State, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) have implemented their LIFT-funded project “Vocational training and livelihood opportunities for youth in and out of camps in Rakhine State”. The programme provides young people in IDP camps and out-of-camps better access to quality, safe and relevant learning opportunities. The aim is for the local youth to gain skills, acquire employment, and to become active members of the community.
LIFT went on a field trip to Kyauk Tan Gyi village to meet with beneficiaries who were selected by the programme according to socio-economic vulnerability criteria. Many stories were told, and here are some of them:
Tin Tin Hla is a 23-year-old woman. Her dream is to help raise future leaders of Myanmar.
“I want to be a teacher, a nurturer for our future leaders. When I was in grade 10, I remember my English teacher, whom I admire. She taught us more than just the curriculum and the English letters. She taught us about life, respect, and how to share your love with other people.”
Tin Tin Hla specifically liked the brain development theme of the DRC/NRC life-skills training. She now teaches 20 students in her village aged seven to fifteen. The skills training helped her apply what she learned in her own classroom, as well as to be more mindful with her students. In the future, she aspires to become a Myanmar language teacher.
Khin Nwe Win is 23 years old. She particularly liked the success theme in the DRC/NRC life-skills training, where she learned that “life-skills is a long learning process that never ends. So we have to learn every day – day by day. We cannot stop learning.”
Khin Nwe Win believes it is important for her to achieve success in order to be as helpful as possible to her family and community.
Ei Myat Khine is a 21-year-old woman who also found the DRC/NRC’s success theme interesting. It taught her to commit to her ambitions. Indeed, she says, “My focus is on the community, but first of all, I need to focus on myself. I want to become a successful person so that I can contribute to the community”.
The most important lesson that Ei Myat Khine learned is to “keep going”, no matter the obstacles.
Read this article in Myanmar lanuguage here
