UN cuts to IDP food rations arriving soon

Myanmar (MNN) — Southeast Asia is battling an ISIS insurgency. In Myanmar, militants are reportedly wooing Muslim ethnic minorities like the Rohingya.

“They’re reaching out to families, not just fighters, and they’re offering them a new narrative on what’s happening in the world,” Steve Gumaer of Partners Relief and Development told MNN last month.

In a few days, the Islamic State’s siren song might sound even better to displaced and at-risk families.

According to The Diplomat, UN cuts to its food assistance program in Myanmar are expected to begin in August. Rice will be cut by 10%, while other basic food items such as flour and oil will be reduced by 20%.

These reductions are part of wider UN cuts to food aid programs worldwide. In the first half of 2015, less than a quarter of their global projects have been funded, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator reports.

It’s the lowest mid-year percentage in the UN’s 70-year history.

“Reduction of food rations will take place for all IDPs [internally displaced persons] in Kachin, northern Shan, and Rakhine states,” an e-mail from the UN’s World Food Program (WFP) to The Diplomat reads in part.

Thankfully, Partners has been operating Emergency Relief programs in these same areas for the past few years. So far, they’ve been able to distribute nearly 50,000 emergency relief supplies to people in need.

Their help includes immediate essentials like rice, vegetables, clothing, and shelter, but Partners is also investing in long-term solutions. Because the crises are ongoing, ministry workers are helping IDPs start small but sustainable farming projects.

Learn more about their work here.

As they journey with Myanmar’s vulnerable IDPs, Partners workers are sharing the hope and love of Christ in word AND deed.

“We’re inspired by our faith to do more than just talk about God’s love. We demonstrate it through practical response: caring for the whole person by working to improve their spiritual, physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being,” a portion of Partners’ Web site reads.

The UN may be turning its back on Myanmar’s vulnerable populations, but Partners is committed to walking with them daily. They’ll need your help, though, as the needs of IDPs build.

Click here to learn how you can get involved and help Partners make an eternal difference in the lives of Myanmar’s forgotten people.