When Kiya was given a place at school, her mother “laughed all the way home.” Kiya lives with her mum, Meseret, and her younger brother in a small mud home. A few years ago, Kiya’s father became ill and despite receiving treatment, he passed away leaving a huge hole in the family.
Myanmar, where we care for over 2,200 children, continues to be ravaged by war. In the north, families live under the constant threat of aerial bombardment, where schools, churches and homes can be struck without warning. As conflict intensifies, for thousands the only choice has been to flee.
“Displacement often makes children feel invisible.” shared Thawn, who held a camp for over 250 displaced children in north-west Myanmar.
In recent months rising tensions between the military and rebel groups have forced families to flee to other villages, forests and across the Indo-Burma border, leaving behind all that they own and taking with them the deep wounds of trauma.
I wanted to share with you an update from my recent trip to Romania to visit the children at our Denisa Day Care Centre. I had the privilege of taking a small team to teach sewing skills to the children, to encourage confidence in maths and to give the children a view of themselves as part of a big world-wide Stand by Me family that cares about each other.