Aung Htike and his wife Aye Thida Thein are from Shwe Pyi Thar Township, Yangon. They have an eight-year-old boy, who is now in second grade. They had both been employed by Myanmar Royal Apollo Garment Factory for two years. However, they recently lost their jobs with no compensation when the factory closed down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The factory owner fled in March and we didn't get our salary for February. As the factory also closed down, we, along with other factory workers, made temporary shelters in front of the factory and stayed there for two months demanding our salary. Donors gave us rice, cooking oil and other necessary groceries while we were staying there. But we had to leave the shelters in the middle of April because the government issued lockdown restrictions," said Aung Htike.
Aye Thida Thein said that her family faced difficulties in lockdown, with no income for essential items. "We felt hopeless since both of us had no income and couldn't go outside to look for a new job due to the lockdown. We had no idea how to sustain ourselves in this situation."
With the help of Solidarity Trade Union of Myanmar (STUM), a partner of Save the Children, they learnt that Save the Children helps hundreds of workers who have lost their incomes through multipurpose monthly cash distributions, supported by LIFT.
Aung Htike said the support from Save the Children has been critical for his family. "We received the first cash transfer from Save the Children in April, and we were able to buy rice and other necessary groceries. My son became ill when the rainy season started, and we could also cover the cost of his treatment at the clinic with that money."
Factories are laying off thousands of workers as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, and this is making it even harder for Aung Htike and Aye Thida Thein to find new employment. This level of uncertainty means that cash support provided by Save the Children is essential for the well-being of their entire family.
"By now, we have received cash transfers from Save the Children three times, which has been a great help to our family. We sincerely thank Save the Children and donors for their support," said Aung Htike.
Thanks to Save the Children for contributing this article.
