Pregnant women and new mothers face added vulnerabilities in Arakan IDP camps

By Admin 26 Jun 2023

DMG Newsroom
26 June 2023, Rathedaung

Temporary shelters damaged by Cyclone Mocha have not been repaired yet, and pregnant women and lactating mothers in the IDP camps are facing accommodation difficulties.

Some pregnant women are forced to move from one place to another when it rains because of the flimsiness of shelters, said Daw Aye Aye Than, a pregnant woman from the Shwe Parami Monastery IDP camp in Rathedaung.

“The shelters are not built strong, so when it rains and the wind blows, the water gets in. We are facing accommodation difficulties as shelters damaged by Cyclone Mocha have not been repaired yet,” she added.

Rathedaung Township has 27 displacement camps and more than 17,000 IDPs, including more than 250 pregnant and lactating women, according to camp officials.

Although it has been more than a month since Cyclone Mocha hit Arakan State, the IDPs are still receiving very little aid and they are facing financial difficulties to repair their homes on a self-reliant basis.

The monsoon season weighs heavily on pregnant women and young mothers in the camps.

“It’s raining so much now that we don’t have a place to sleep, so if one place gets wet, we move to another place and sit. Because the rain water is so cold, our bodies are always cold, so we are worried that we will get sick,” said Daw Hsan Hsan Kyaw, the mother of a newborn from the Nyaungchaung displacement camp.

There are 135 pregnant women and lactating mothers in Nyaungchaung IDP camp in Kyauktaw Township, where the shelters have not yet been repaired and made safe, according to a camp official.

Malnutrition is also an ever-present concern among pregnant women in displacement camps.

“Pregnant women cannot buy and eat the necessary nutrients. We are facing various difficulties,” said Daw Ma Aye Khin, an IDP woman from Taungminkalar displacement camp in Kyauktaw Township.

“We want safe shelters,” said U Kyaw Mya Chay, manager of the Tin Nyo IDP camp in Mrauk-U Township. “If there is a strong wind during the rainy season, some shelters may collapse again. We must overcome these difficulties during the rainy season.”

More than 210,000 homes were damaged or destroyed by Cyclone Mocha across Sittwe, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Maungdaw, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Minbya and Pauktaw townships, affecting over 2.1 million people.

Hundreds of thousands of surviving storm victims in Arakan State remain in need of food, medicine, safe shelter and clean drinking water, and will require substantial assistance for recovery and rehabilitation.