A Rohingya refugee from Myanmar helped by Action Against Hunger carries some wood.

Myanmar

Despite the complex humanitarian situation, we continue to provide life-saving nutrition programmes in the Southeast Asian country.

In Myanmar, chronic poverty further complicates a humanitarian crisis caused by natural disasters, a lack of nutritious food, armed conflict, and mass displacement of people.

According to the 2020 Humanitarian Needs Overview, more than 985,000 people in Myanmar need humanitarian assistance. Of these, 864,000 are experiencing severe problems related to their physical and mental wellbeing.

Since August 2017, worsening violence in Rakhine State has forced more than 650,000 Rohingya refugees to flee to Bangladesh.

The local government in Rakhine State has imposed regulations and restrictions on movement on humanitarian agencies, making it difficult to assess the current needs of the local population.

Country facts

  • 53.7m

    Myanmar has a population of more than 50 million people.

  • 145

    Myanmar ranks 145th out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index.

  • 29.4%

    Almost 30% of children under five in Myanmar suffer from malnutrition.

Action Against Hunger’s work in Myanmar

Our teams are providing treatment for children suffering from life-threatening hunger. In 2019, at nine outpatient therapeutic centres in Rakhine State, 2,837 children received treatment from malnutrition along with 865 malnourished pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.

We also provide mental health and psychological support for those experiencing trauma from natural disasters and conflict.

Because of access restrictions to conflict-affected populations, Action Against Hunger also carries out important advocacy activities in Myanmar. Through this work, we’re improving access to basic services for vulnerable groups, such as children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and refugees or displaced persons.

Our reach

  • 89,907

    We reached almost 90,000 people in Myanmar through our programmes in 2019.

  • 388

    We have 388 staff based in Yangon, Kayah State and Rakhine State.

  • 8,164

    In 2019, more than 8,000 children received treatment for malnutrition from our teams in Myanmar.

Save lives todayRohingya refugee children who have received support from Action Against Hunger.

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Humaira, a woman supported by Action Against Hunger at a treatment centre in Bangladesh,

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A woman tends to her crops in Cambodia.

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