Jamila, a twenty-two-year old single mother, lives in the world’s largest refugee camp in in Bangladesh. A Rohingya woman, she fled the armed conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State to save herself, her elderly mother and eight-month-old baby daughter. 

Caritas Australia stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar during these particularly challenging times. We pray for all of the people in Myanmar, especially the vulnerable and marginalised communities who will be most severely impacted by the recent political upheavals.

At a time of such upheaval and challenge across the globe, possibly the greatest world-wide challenges since the inception of Project Compassion, Caritas Australia encourages all Australians to ‘Be More’ this year to help vulnerable communities.

Caritas Australia’s partner, Caritas India, has recently been awarded the prestigious Mahatma Gandhi Award 2020 for COVID-19 Humanitarian Efforts.

The award recognises the tireless work of Caritas India during the pandemic to reach the most vulnerable communities.

Natural disasters, including two cyclones and  an earthquake, have struck the Asia-Pacfic in recent months, with already vulnerable communities struggling to deal with displacement and upheaval, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aiya is one of over 93,000 people, mostly from the Karen or Karenni ethnic groups, who live in nine camps along the border, who have endured decades of displacement, after fleeing widespread conflict in Myanmar.