New Dawn relief

New Dawn Project summary

The New Dawn project was established to meet the need of Myanmar nationals displaced from their homes fleeing the violence following the military coup in Myanmar in February 2021. Since the New Dawn Project began in July 2021 and until July 2023, approximately 8,000 displaced people from Myanmar have been identified and registered across 20 target villages/towns to receive a grant and 61,973 grants have been distributed.  These grants cover the essentials for sustaining life, dignity and to enable recovery from this crisis. They are distributed to the most vulnerable households and those in greatest need. The following grants have been distributed since the project began in July 2021 and up until July 2023:

1. Providing food grants.

A total of 38,036 food grants have been distributed by our teams to individuals providing items such as rice, dal, potatoes, onions, salt, sugar, and milk powder.

2. Education grants

1,373 children from Myanmar have received individual education grants, 82 volunteer teachers have been provided with a monthly stipend, and 12 host schools have received vital resources to accommodate the influx of students. Students have received a range of resources, from exercise books to uniforms, and stationery. Teachers are either providing additional language lessons to help students settle into host schools, or support with core academic subjects. Host schools have been provided with water filters, whiteboards, table and chairs, and water tanks.

Mary’s Testimony (name changed)

Mary was born in 2012 in a small village in Myanmar. Her father died when she was still an infant, and she is one of two children. When living in Myanmar, her mother brought up her two daughters alone, and although it was a struggle, she managed to meet their basic needs through cultivating a small piece of land. They fled from their home because of the violent coup. Her mother goes door-to-door reselling vegetables and other consumable goods. She is able to meet their most basic needs but cannot support Mary with her education.

Mary is currently in grade 3 and is one of the beneficiaries of New Dawn Education project. She has received tuition from teachers that are receiving a stipend, and has also received a uniform, books and stationery. The New Dawn grant has enabled Mary to continue her education and she has started to show an increase in self-confidence. She is able to wear a uniform and bring to school all the necessary equipment. This has helped her to fit in with other students.

Her teachers have seen an improvement in her handwriting, reading, language acquisition and social development.

3. Medical grants

4,386 medical grants have been provided to individuals requiring medical treatment, medication or check-ups. These ranged from very simple local treatment to treatment for more complex, traumatic or chronic conditions requiring hospital admission.

4. Livelihood grants

440 livelihood grants have been distributed to individual households enabling them to raise an income for their families and restore independence and dignity.  These small grants have been given to provide tools for skilled activities such as carpentry, farming, tailoring, or small animal husbandry. Poultry husbandry has appeared to be the most successful livelihood as it has allowed women-headed households to earn an income. 

On behalf of the whole Health & Hope team, we would like to thank you again for your generous donation to this work. We are so grateful for your support.

Food Banks

As the conflict in Myanmar intensifies and continues, many people are unable to return to their homes and continue to rely on external support for their food security. However, the longevity of the conflict requires a transition from emergency relief to more self-sustaining solutions. Some individuals can now earn a small income from agricultural labour but are unable to purchase food items at the local cost. In July 2023, 3 food banks were trialled in 3 communities, and food items (rice, dal and cooking oil) were sold at a lower cost than the local price. 90% of displaced people were able to purchase food from the food bank, and 90% of vulnerable individuals were given food items. The food banks produced a total profit of $3,943 and this enabled the communities to restock their food banks with 64% of rice bags, 70% bags of dal, and 58% of its cooking oil. Funding will subsidise the remaining amount.

Our priority for the coming months is to set up 12 subsidised food banks in 12 communities in order to reach approx. 6,000 people. There is an urgent need to find solutions that decreases dependency on aid and encourage self-sufficiency:

‘’We are all really depending on this food bank, in these days, there aren’t any more donations, and from the food bank, we can borrow and buy when we need. We really like the food bank’’ (Food Bank Manager).