Blessing / Kantarawaddy Times
In a corner of a bamboo-walled hut, Nar Yu Phaw, a woman in her 40s, is quietly weaving a traditional shirt under the dim evening light.
“This is my job (traditional shirt weaving). Each one sells for 700 baht,” Nar Yu Phaw explains in Karen, pointing to a purple long traditional Karen dress she’s currently weaving.
Once she finishes the dress, she plans to sell it to buy food for her family. It takes about two days to finish one piece, which sells for 700 Thai baht.
Weaving is her daily work. When there are orders, she makes up to six garments per month. When there are no orders, she makes clothes for her children. For her family, weaving is the main source of income.
In the refugee camp where she lives, food aid is no longer provided as abundantly as before. That’s why she relies on weaving to afford basic necessities like rice and cooking oil.
Since April 2025, food aid that was once regularly delivered to the refugee camps has been steadily reduced. Due to funding difficulties faced by the Border Consortium (TBC), which supplies food to nine refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, the usual assistance is no longer guaranteed.
Before the cuts, children under four years old received between 180 to 280 baht per month. Now, they receive just over 40 baht. People over five years old used to receive over 400 baht, but now get only 87 baht.
These reductions are especially difficult for camp residents without other sources of income. Nar Yu Phaw, who has lived in Karenni Refugee Camp 2 (Ban Mae Surin) for over 15 years, is also struggling with this challenge.
With only 87 baht per person per month, households must manage the budget strictly.
Mu Kapaw Say, a 27-year-old housewife, says she has started selling fried noodles to save on kitchen expenses and earn a little extra income.
“In the past, we used to get over 300 baht per person. That was enough for a month’s supply of rice, oil, salt, chilies, and potatoes. Now, even just purchasing rice isn’t enough,” she says.
There are seven members in her family, and they need 12 cups of rice daily, cooking twice a day. The 87-baht food aid no longer covers their basic needs, Mu Kapaw Say explains.
Karenni Refugee Camp 2 (Ban Mae Surin) has over 500 households and a total population of 3,196.
Some camp residents try to earn money by fulfilling orders for goods from those who have resettled abroad through the UN’s third-country resettlement program to countries like the U.S., Australia, or Canada.
Others sell local products such as dried bamboo shoots, groceries, traditional medicine leaves, betel nuts, and ethnic clothing within the camp.
Daw Neh Myar, another woman in the camp, has a household of 11. Due to the large number of family members, she has to manage their expenses carefully. With no source of income, she also has to ration spending beyond just food.
The only things Daw Neh Myar possesses now are 15 chickens for consumption. At the moment, she’s relying on savings and reducing food intake.
“We’ve had to sell off what we had. We’re eating less. If the situation worsens, I’m considering returning to Myanmar,” says Daw Neh Myar.
She hopes to return to her home in Karenni State, where, despite the ongoing conflict, at least they could grow crops and feed themselves.
However, this is not a long-term solution. The administrative committee of Camp 2 says they are working to resolve the food shortage by connecting with overseas Karenni communities and private donors.
The TBC’s food cuts were from April to the end of July. After that, there’s no guarantee of resuming full support. Camp residents have managed to endure so far, but the situation may become more difficult, according to Camp 2 Chairperson Saw Hto Lwi War.
“Right now, people have used up all their money to stock up on food for this month. It hasn’t had a severe impact yet. But by mid-next month, their rice stocks will probably be gone. Money will be short. It’ll be harder for them and for us. As the committee, we’ll have to look harder for donors, especially private ones, who can help,” he said.
Karenni Refugee Camp 2 is located deep in the forest, by a stream. Thanks to a good water source, families grow vegetables seasonally during the winter. These small gardens help provide food without spending much money for some households.
Almost every family owns a garden by the stream. Seeds are supplied by the camp’s livelihood department under the administrative committee.
“As refugees, the Thai authorities don’t allow us to do commercial farming. We’re only allowed to grow enough for our household consumption,” explains Chairperson Saw Hto Lwi War.
To reduce kitchen expenses, families typically grow crops like pumpkins, beans, water spinach, eggplants, chilies, and other vegetables, mainly during the dry and hot seasons.
While they receive some support from donors, it’s clear that to sustainably manage their daily lives, they need access to stable livelihood opportunities. Only then can they hope for a secure future.
No one knows how long TBC’s food support will last. It’s been over 30 years since they began helping. For the camp residents, this food aid cut is a wake-up call.
“We need to calmly reflect and apply the knowledge we’ve gained in meaningful ways amid the hardships. That’s what I want to encourage our camp residents to continue doing,” said Saw Hto Lwi War, Chairperson of the Camp Committee.
The camp residents, on the other hand, are eagerly hoping to once again receive the kind of sufficient rations and support they used to have. They still hope for a share of humanitarian aid so they can get through each day without worry and fulfill their responsibilities to their families.
“It feels joyful when we receive full support like before. It means we can fully provide for our children, too,” said Nar Yu Phaw.
