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Rebuilding resilient communitiesafter conflict and disaster
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Rakhine State, Myanmar – Thein Shwe’s house inTaung Ywar Ward appears to be leaning. The roof
is patched together with tarpaulin and bamboo andslopes precariously over the single-storey structure. Itlooks unlikely to withstand a strong storm, let alonethe impending monsoon rains.
Reflecting on the torrential rains that struck thetownship of Buthidaung the summer before, TheinShwe expresses her desire to maintain the house.
“I don’t know what the future weather conditions willbe like and so I want to improve the house,” TheinShwe told FAO.
Taung Ywar Ward had the highest water levels in all ofButhidaung during the 2015 floods associated withCyclone Komen, rising up to one metre and sweepingaway precious food storage, mainly rice, potatoes andoil. Villagers report that some of their pigs and manyof their chickens were lost.
Most houses were damaged in some way, with fencesdestroyed and roofs damaged by fallen trees. Manypersonal possessions were also lost.
Thein Shwe’s household of five relies on her husband’sincome as a casual labourer, but at US$ 30 per weekthere hasn’t been enough money to carry out repairs.
Starting over
As part of an FAO-supported project to help conflict-and flood-affected communities in northern Rakhinestate, villagers like Thein Shwe received small livestockwhich they could rear and breed for additionalincome.
“I am very happy to receive FAO’s assistance with thispig. I want to rear the pig for a long time and then beable to earn income to maintain my house,” she said.
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© FAO – Hkun Lat
“I don’t know what the future weather conditionswill be like and so I want to improve the house,”
Thein Shwe told FAO
“If sold at the right time, a pig can fetch a significantamount of money and that’s a boost for these poor,rural households,” said Andrea Berloffa, Emergency
Coordinator for FAO Myanmar.
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MYANMAR Rebuilding resilient communitiesafter conflict and disaster
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Contacts
Allan DowRegional Communication Officer (Asia-Pacific)Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific39 Phra Atit Road, Bangkok 10200, ThailandTel: +662 697 4126 Mobile: +6681 899 7354Email: allan.dow@fao.org Website: www.fao.org/asiapacific
ACHIEVING FAO’S STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
Increasing the resilience of livelihoods to threats and crises is one of FAO’s strategic objectives.
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In addition to its vulnerability to natural disasters,Rakhine State suffers from inter-communal tensionsand is still recovering from significant outbreaks ofviolence in 2012, with more than 100 000 people stilldisplaced in camps across the state. Over one millionpeople, most with unresolved citizenship status,have restricted access to services and freedom ofmovement curtailed.
FAO, with funding from the Central EmergencyResponse Fund, has provided support to boost thelivelihoods of 3 300 conflict- and flood-affectedhouseholds (around 18 000 individuals) in bothMuslim and Rakhine Budd hist communities inMaungdaw and Buthidaung townships.
Beneficiaries have received winter crop seeds toincrease food availability and recover from losses feltafter the floods, as well as small livestock which canincrease income opportunities and provide animalprotein. The latter is particularly urgent in Rakhine,where rates of Severe Acute Malnutrition are higherthan the critical threshold identified by the WorldHealth Organization.
While appealing for additional resources, FAOcontinues to work with government partners andothers to provide assistance to more than 300 000conflict and flood-affected people under the 2016Humanitarian Response Plan for Myanmar.
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