Myanmar Context
North West Myanmar
Chin State, known locally as the ‘Chin Hills’, due to its mountainous geography, is the second smallest state in Myanmar. It has approximately 479,000 inhabitants living mainly in small to medium-sized rural communities. Health & Hope is currently working through three regions in NW Myanmar.
Chin State is widely recognised as the most impoverished state in Myanmar. An estimated 73% of inhabitants are unable to meet basic food and non-food needs, compared to the national average of 32%.
Military Coup - February 2021 to Present
The ongoing conflict has triggered a severe humanitarian crisis. Over 16 million people require urgent assistance—including 6 million children facing malnutrition, interrupted schooling, and safety risks. Nearly 3.8 million people are internally displaced, with more than 300,000 fleeing as refugees. Conflict monitoring estimates that the Tatmadaw's actions have resulted in over 100,000 deaths and 30,000 political arrests.
The challenges of day to day life
Health
Chin State faces severe healthcare shortages, with no fully functioning hospital, under 20% of doctor positions filled, and scarce, costly medicines. Preventable conditions like diarrhoea, malaria, and pneumonia, exacerbated by underlying malnutrition, cause nearly 7% of children to die before age five, double the national average.
Maternal care is critical, as only 50% of pregnant women receive professional antenatal care and less than 6% deliver in a health facility, leaving most to give birth alone or with untrained assistance.
Education
In Chin State, limited early education in native ethnic languages and severe household poverty lead to an 18% primary school drop-out rate by age 11. Poorer families frequently rely on children for farming and domestic work, leaving households highly vulnerable to economic shocks from illness, death, or job loss. Combined with limited access to schooling and exams set in non-ethnic languages, less than 5.5% of youths in Chin State successfully pass their critical Grade 10 exams.
Livelihoods
Traditional livelihoods in Chin State, centered on farming and livestock, are increasingly threatened by climate change, deforestation, and water shortages. Falling yields of staple crops, along with an inability to compete with outside products, have driven a steady decline in food consumption and seasonal hunger. This severe food insecurity has resulted in widespread malnutrition and a 58% child stunting rate—the highest in Myanmar. Consequently, 76% of the population lives near subsistence levels, with poverty rates doubling to nearly 50% in recent years.
