July 7, 2024
AB news reporters observed that internally displaced people in the makeshift camps in Arakan needed food, medicine, and hygiene kits for women urgently.
IDP camp at Yotarouk train station and Ganantaung Agricultural farm in Ponnagyun Township, and IDP camp at Wartaung in Kyauktaw Township, it is found that food, covering shelter rooftops, medicine, and hygiene kits for women were urgently needed.
Since the war broke out between Arakan Army and the Myanmar military council on 13 November 2023, the Military Council blocked the public roads and the flow of goods transportation has been cut off from the rest of the country. As a result, both locals and people in the IDP camps have been facing different types of difficulties.
Daw Hla Thein Aye. a resident of the IDP camp at Yotarouk train station in Ponnagyun Township, said to the AB News “Due to the rainy season, lack of covering rooftops, people urgently need assistance with shelter kits.
“We are a big family. We need tarpaulin sheets for our shelter. We have only a house containing two smaller rooms. We want shelter kits so that we can have protection to live in with our family.” She said,
There are 81 households in the camp. According to her, the total population is more than 500 people having a hard time due to lack of food.
“Since the Military Council had cut off the public roads by being blocked, people, especially pregnant women have been deprived of vaccination, no hygiene kits for women, and medicine for sick people. People are in urgent need of help with food, medicine, shelter, and hygiene kits” Ma Ei Ei Khaing, a nurse Aid working at Sittwe Hospital said.
“Now there are many cases of malaria, diarrhea, Tuberculosis, paralysis, chronic disease but no medicine and at the same time pregnant women too needed to have vaccination. I would like to have vitamin injections for elderly people. Due to roads being blocked, the people in the area can’t go outside to buy medicine and therefore they need help from donors.” she added.
A displaced woman said to AB News that, due to the cut-off of the commodities supply, the price of necessary items particularly Hygiene Kits has rocketed high. As a result, women have to use hygiene kits by making old torn clothes during menstruation. According to Ma Ei Ei Khaing, a nurse aide, previously in a normal situation, a hygiene kit price was 1000 or 1500 Kyat, but presently women have to buy it at 8000 or 9000 kyat.
Similarly, at the IDP camp of Wartaung, in Kyauktaw Township, AB News reporters found that people are badly in need of food, medicine, and shelter kits. The price of milk powder for children has gone out of affordability, mothers are feeding condensed milk instead of milk powder.
A mother of twin children Daw Khin Lay Nwe said “I cannot produce breast milk and I have to feed my children milk powder. The price of a tin milk powder was 29000 kyat but now it is more than 80000 kyat. I have 2 children; it costs nearly 2 lakh kyat for me in a month. Some months I cannot afford milk.
According to HDCO at present, there are 570000 displaced people in Rakhine.