1. Kachin State: Local Groups Provide Aid at Great Personal Risk
By Sushetha Gopallawa
A displaced Kachinwomanwasheskitchen suppliesin a camp in northern Myanmar.
While in Myanmar's Kachin State lastmonth,I visited a number of displacementcamps around Myitkyina and
Waingmaw,and I also metwith Kachin community-based organizations (CBOs) who deliver aid in both government
and non-governmentcontrolled areas.
Over 100,000 people have been displaced since conflictbetween the Myanmar militaryand the Kachin Independence
Army (KIA) resumed in June 2011.While about35,000 of these individuals are living in government-controlled areas,
more than 50 percentof the displaced are located behind rebel lines,in areas controlled bythe Kachin Independence
Organisation (KIO), the KIA’s political wing.
The KIO have granted humanitarian agencies permission to enter their territory and deliver assistance.The Myanmar
government,however, continues to block the UN and the international donors from accessing KIO-controlled areas.
Thus the majorityof internallydisplaced persons (IDPs) in Kachin State are largely dependenton local CBOs for their
mostbasic needs – including shelter,food,health care, water and sanitation,access to medicines,education,and
protection.
For even the bestequipped agencies,accessing IDP camps in KIO-controlled areas can prove difficult. Many camps
are located in remote areas at high altitudes,and during the rainy seas on (which lasts from May to October), the
roads become almostimpassable.Supplies often need to be transported by mule,making the process slow and
complicated,and hampering the abilityof CBOs to do their lifesaving work.
Geographicallyspeaking,some parts ofKIO territory are more easilyaccessed through China than through
Myanmar. However, donor restrictions and Chinese border rules make aid deliveryvery challenging.China does not
allow supplies bearing logos offoreign organizations to be transported across its borders,and it also restricts the
shipmentoffood and medicines procured inside Myanmar through China to KIO-held areas.Most donor agencies,
meanwhile,prohibitCBOs from purchasing supplies in China.
These complexlogistical issues force mostCBOs in Kachin State to take incredible risks.During mytime in the
region,I heard manystories aboutthe innovative – and often dangerous – steps thatCBO staff take to reach those in
need.Some hide in the forests and waituntil nightfall,or until the Chinese border guards have lefttheir posts,before
crossing into KIO-controlled areas via China.They also collaborate with Kachin drivers living inside China to find back

2. roads and avoid official border crossings. Still other CBO staff work with Chinese-based Kachin businessmen and
traders to procure much needed supplies,and then store them until they are ready for transportation to the IDPs.
Some of these CBO workers have been stopped and questioned bythe Chinese border authorities.Butif not for their
work in rebel-held areas – at such grave personal risk – thousands ofIDPs would receive barely any lifesaving
assistance.
Instead of directing aid through these courageous CBOs,some major donors and agencies – mostnotablythe U.S.
government – have decided to wait until the Myanmar governmentallows UN convoys to go behind rebel lines.These
donors also maintain thatmanyCBOs have limited capacities,lack accountabilityand are insufficientlytransparent.
But it could be weeks or months before official access to KIO zones is granted,so it is time for the donor community
to think outside the box and be flexible in supporting these CBOs in the KIO-controlled areas.Indeed, they should
also investin capacity-building for these groups to help them meetinternational standards,rather than simply
dismissing them.
Without the incredible work being done by CBOs in KIO-controlled areas,the UN and the international community
would have another humanitarian crisis on their hands in Kachin.Butto keep the situation from getting worse,they
will have to recognize these groups as real partners.
May 30, 2013 | Tagged as: Myanmar, Humanitarian Response, Asia, Protection & Security
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