How a Game Night Sparked a Community’s Response in Myanmar

Just a couple months ago, a young man named Lin was playing video games with five of his friends. Suddenly, authorities showed up at his home and arrested Lin and his father. Both were taken away in unmarked vehicles where they were placed in jail and beaten. 

Lin lives in Myanmar, where the state perceives gatherings of young men as potential threats, for they fear they might be organizing against the government. 

And gathering isn’t the only risk to safety, so is movement. In certain areas of Myanmar, young people can be arrested or conscripted (forced to enlist) in the military simply while walking down the street.  To physically reach some communities, civilians have to pass through many checkpoints, sometimes over 10 checkpoints each kilometer. The effect is that people live consistently under the threat of harm for going about their daily life and remain isolated from each other and outside support. Impacted people in conflict settings know movement can mean life or death for them. 

Our team in Myanmar leads initiatives to reach civilians that are most impacted and most isolated, just like Lin, by partnering with local church networks. Religious leaders and church members are not seen as a threat to armed actors and can move much more easily through communities. In fact, NP has partnered with faith-based organizations to get displaced people to safety following the devastating earthquake and in the facilitation of access to basic needs like water, food and medicine. Additionally, our partners have been key supports in the release of political prisoners and provide safe gathering places for our staff to hold safety trainings.  

In just one community, the team was able to relocate about 1200 people to safety.  

These trainings have led to the creation of a community-led early warning early response (EWER) volunteer team – made up of both church members and local people.  

When Lin and his father were arrested, it didn't take long for word to spread. And when the EWER team heard the news, the group quickly came up with a plan to visit the jail and speak with the military officials. 

Within a couple hours, the church elders and EWER team convinced the officials that Lin was not a threat and secured his release. As a result, both Lin and his father were allowed to return home that night.   

Safely back home, Lin and his family expressed deep gratitude to the EWER team and church leaders for their rapid coordination. A church elder emphasized the importance of the EWER team and the training and support they’ve received from NP, stating, "Your team’s awareness efforts saved them.”  

*** 

To find out how you can support this work, check out our Emergency Appeal for Myanmar.