Since the spring of 2021, Operation Hope has been supporting the Church in Myanmar in its work for the most disadvantaged people following the military coup and in the context of the pandemic. Here is an account of the current situation and the initiatives supported
"In February 2021, Myanmar was plunged into crisis when the generals of the Myanmar military staged a coup d’état, ousted the democratically elected government and incarcerated its leaders. This shocking event was followed by peaceful protests of millions of people across Myanmar who had begun to embrace a fragile democracy and refuse to return to the darkness of military rule.
The military’s response to the nationwide non-violent marches and strikes has been brutal. In the last five months, the army has indiscriminately killed over 800 people and detained thousands more. Medics, humanitarian workers and those who criticise the regime are arrested and savagely beaten. Some of those detained have not been seen or heard from since. Soldiers patrol city streets, destroying property, looting, and burning.

Sister Ann Rose asks the armed forcs not to harm the demonstrators at Myitkyina.
Myanmar is heading into deeper conflict and the stage is set for a devastating civil war. There is rapid growth of local militia groups, and intense fighting in many areas.
Villages are bombed and burnt, and thousands are fleeing into the mountains and jungles, or to seek refuge in monasteries and church compounds. But even these sanctuaries are targets.
Already the coup has brought great suffering, and Myanmar is facing economic collapse and a severe humanitarian crisis. The public health system has completely collapsed; COVID testing, and prevention is abandoned. Unemployment is huge and there is widespread hunger.
The Church in Myanmar is on the frontlines of this emergency, working to relieve suffering among the most vulnerable. Our teams on the ground are working tirelessly to distribute food and medicines, give shelter to those who seek safe refuge, comfort those who grieve, and keep the light of hope alive.

Educational activities for children from displaced families
Acts of solidarity include distributing food parcels to thousands of families in some of the poorest communities, building simple houses for people displaced by conflict, or giving support to young people and helping them to continue education despite the closure of schools.
The Myanmar people must still wait and hope for a future free from fear, and they are crying out for help."