The global day of prayer for Burma happens every year on the second Sunday of March. Ashley South, who has been involved in events in Myanmar as an observer and participant in events for nearly thirty years, recently wrote a country overview in the Global Day of Prayer for Burma guide. Here are excerpts: “Four years after the February 2021 coup, Burma is in deep crisis. The illegal and illegitimate State Administrative Council (SAC) junta has committed widespread and systematic war crimes, including hundreds of airstrikes on civilian communities, with over 1000 casualties in Karen areas alone (including scores of children). As a result of the Myanmar Army and proxy forces attacks on civilians, there are over 3 million internally displaced people in the country, with over 1 million in the Karen free state of Kawthoolei.
“In late November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. Sadly, in the global context of violent crises, international attention and support for the anti-junta movement in Burma has been limited.
“Across the country, humanitarian needs are much greater than the current supply of aid. Many international agencies continue trying to access vulnerable communities from ‘inside Myanmar’, under surveillance of the SAC. However, conflict-affected communities are generally only accessible ‘cross-border’ by local Burmese civil society organizations, and a few international friends, like Free Burma Rangers. In the absence of enough international support, the people of Burma often have to help themselves. Across the warzones, local organizations provide assistance, while Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) provide wide-ranging services, despite limited resources – in the teeth of vicious attacks by the Myanmar junta.”
Last fall, 21Wilberforce staff visited the Thai-Burma border to learn more about the important work conducted by the local faith-based institutions and relief agencies in the region.
Here is a closer look at life in the Daw Noe Ku IDP camp in Burma written by Antonio Graceffo, an economist and national security analyst who has been studying and working in Asia for over 20 years, spending 7 in China, 2 in Taiwan, 4 in Mongolia, and the rest in Southeast Asia.
When an airstrike hits your village, fleeing is a rational choice. But what happens when the place you flee to is bombed too?
Maria, a Catholic Karenni mother of four, shared her story: “We ran to the jungle first, but there were always mortars and airstrikes.” Eventually, she and her family reached Daw Noe Ku IDP camp, now home to over 5,000 people. The camp has been targeted too-its Catholic church, school, and college have all been destroyed.
Thousands of Christians in Myanmar have been forcibly displaced from their homes by military attacks.
Unlike U.N. refugee camps, IDP camps in Burma receive minimal outside support and lack U.N. protection. The Burma Army is free to bomb them, leaving their security precarious. Peter, who fled to the camp with his wife and infant son after the coup, said, “Last night, planes flew over, so everyone slept in the riverbed.” For the IDPs, the sound of an airplane always signals danger. Makeshift bomb shelters-simple holes in the ground – are scattered around bamboo huts. Maria wishes to return to her village but knows it’s too dangerous. “The situation in the camp isn’t stable either. We always have to be alert for airstrikes” she said.
Life in the camp is far from easy. Oo-Re, a section head, explained, “TBBC (Thai Burma Border Consortium) provides 14 kilos of rice per person per month.” This aligns with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) general guidelines for subsistence-level food assistance in emergency settings. To help residents ration their supplies, Oo-Re said they distribute the rice twice a month, giving seven kilos each time.
There is also a secondary food distribution when extra supplies are available, explained Oo-Re. “This may include Indiana beans, salt, and sometimes cooking oil or Mama noodles,” he said. “However, he added, “But not every month. Sometimes canned fish, but almost no meat.” While a diet of rice can sustain life, it lacks sufficient nutrition. There are no paying jobs in the camp, leaving residents unable to afford extras like eggs or other supplements. “Some families have relations in Thailand who can send money,” Oo-Re explained, “but others have no one, so they get nothing. For those receiving financial support from Thailand, the arrangement often comes at a significant cost – families are split apart, with fathers or older sons working illegally as construction or farm laborers. These jobs, which pay 300 baht per day (around $9 USD) for only a few days of work each month, come with constant risks of arrest and deportation.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a significant issue among internally displaced persons (IDPs). “Because of the war, we have so many people who were killed or wounded, losing a leg… We get trauma from that,” explained Oo-Re. “We cannot forget what we see here and what made us flee.”
Antonio urges everyone on the Day of Prayer for Burma to pray for the IDPs. While international media often highlight the refugee crisis, few people truly understand what it means to be an IDP. They are among the most vulnerable of all displaced populations, lacking support and protection from any organization. Pray that the United Nations acts immediately to provide material aid, including food, medicine, and physical security, to these forgotten individuals. IDPs represent a neglected and dire humanitarian crisis that urgently demands attention.
As we lift up these prayers, let us be guided by the words of Isaiah 1:17, which call us to seek justice and care for those in need: “Learn to do right; seek justice, defend the oppressed, take up the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” (NIV)
Here are this year’s Day of Prayer for Burma prayer points:
1. Pray for God to grant safe shelter to displaced people, offering them a secure place to rest and a sense of belonging amidst uncertainty.
2. Pray for God to deliver medical care to the sick and wounded, bringing healing and comfort to those suffering from physical pain and trauma.
3. Pray for God to give protection to children living in Burma, shielding them from harm and providing them with a future filled with hope.
4. Pray for God to bring peace to families torn apart by war, offering them healing from grief and the strength to rebuild their lives.
5. Pray for God to provide resources to those in desperate need, such as food, water, and medicine, ensuring their basic survival in times of crisis.
6. Pray for God to end the violence in conflict areas in Burma, replacing hatred with reconciliation and bringing an everlasting peace to broken communities.
7. Pray for God to restore justice to those oppressed by thewar in Burma, bringing freedom to the captives and a sense of dignity to the marginalized.
8. Pray for God to bring comfort to the mourning, granting them solace in their pain and guiding them through the darkness of loss.
9. Pray for God to send aid and relief to those displaced by conflict, providing them with new hope and opportunities for a fresh start.
10. Pray for the Gospel to reach those suffering in war-torn areas, that many may come to know Jesus and experience His peace and salvation.