Khin Khin Saw stands out from a group of chatting women in Baw Du Pha-1 camp. She has determination in her eyes and does not shy away from sharing her story with us.

For the past five years, BdP camp has been her home, where she lives with her six children. Making a living is difficult, and not being able to always feed her children when they are hungry, keeps her awake at night.

“Because the government has put in place strict regulations for us, we can’t practice our profession: fishing. Some displaced families have received licenses to fish, but after they bring home their daily catch, the police come to their homes to claim a piece of it. No fishing means no income means no food. We mainly eat dried fish and on rare occasions, meat.”

Hearing Khin Khin share her worries and concerns, the other women murmur in agreement. “Life here is difficult”, one of them says, “the weather too hot, we can’t fish and we’re unable to send our children to school. We would like to have more opportunities to earn a living. Some of us are lucky enough to know how to sew, which allows them to sell their clothes at the market.

The goal of the Shelter/NFI/CCCM Cluster in Myanmar is to provide people affected by violence and conflict with safe, dignified and appropriate living conditions, as well as access to essential services, while seeking durable solutions.

In Rakhine, 119,876 people remain displaced across 36 camps or camp-like settings. (as of February 2017)