Children’s football lifts morale for Myanmar’s displaced in war-torn state

The chorus of children’s and teenagers’ voices grew louder as crowds of them gathered on a small open field in western Demoso Township, known widely as a safe destination for survivors of conflict in Myanmar’s war-torn Karenni State. The field, once left vacant as war escalated in the surrounding townships, began to brim with activity again as young boys and girls who had begun to miss outdoor games and physical movement turned it into their playground. Their eyes brightened as they waited, eager to welcome the group of volunteers who had agreed to spend six weeks coaching them in basic football drills. Opportunities to play sports—or participate in most activities that would stimulate their minds and bodies or lift their spirits—are rare for the displaced children, and the locals volunteering to coach them hope it will help make up for the deficiency, said Maw Ree Re, a volunteer in her 30s. Children in displaced people’s camps cannot escape the images and reminders of war, according to Maw Ree Re. They live in constant fear of the regime’s warplanes and can often only imagine one possible future for themselves, she remarks: becoming a soldier or member of an armed group. “We want to convey that there are many other paths they can take,” she says. Children training at a football practice organised for residents of displaced people’s camps in Demoso Township, Karenni State (Photo: Ka Nyar Maw Foundation) Maw Ree Re volunteers for the Ka Nyar Maw Foundation, a local aid group that provides food for internally displaced people (IDP) in war-torn Karenni State, which is some 70 miles east of the junta’s administrative capital, Naypyitaw. The state has been engulfed in conflict between junta forces and the Karenni armed resistance since the 2021 military coup. The foundation became a magnet for the young people who had volunteered to fight for what they saw as the liberation of Karenni State from military dictatorship, often having to interrupt their education, careers, and the pursuit of more hopeful futures that the coup had put out of reach. Encouraging each other to keep their passions alive, the young volunteers organised three activity teams: music, volleyball, and football. Since 2022, the volunteers’ group has been focused on supporting the displaced children most impacted by the war, hoping to give them respite from the often grim and difficult life in the camps, strengthen their mental resilience, and inspire them to pursue dreams of a better future. “At this time, the term ‘war’ is deeply imprinted in their minds,” Maw Ree Re said of the displaced children she knew. “They have little or no chance to interact with the world outside the camps and discover their own passions and dreams.” In the war-torn state, hundreds of children are among the displaced who grapple with myriad hardships everyday, especially obstacles to adequate resources, livelihoods, education, or healthcare. Children training at a football practice organised for residents of displaced people’s camps in Demoso Township, Karenni State (Photo: Ka Nyar Maw Foundation) Maw Thandar Soe*, 21, told Myanmar Now about her experience living in a displaced people’s camp before she came of age and found the means to pursue higher education. She said that the need to attend to the mental health of displaced children is critical. Many, she noted, are coping with lingering trauma after suffering through the military regime’s constant, deadly airstrikes and artillery shelling. Maw Thandar Soe’s own camp in Hpruso Township was destroyed by a junta airstrike in 2023. “One of the bombs landed near my house. I thought we were all done for,” she recalled. “It’s a terrifying nightmare that still haunts me. But I tried to escape from my fear by focusing on my dream of graduating from university so I can help my Karenni community.” Seeing the mental toll that life as a displaced person takes, the Ka Nyar Maw Foundation saw a need and the opportunity to supplement their primary mission, providing food, with another essential service: raising the morale of displaced children by providing the opportunity for mental and physical improvement in a participatory setting. Budget constraints have compelled the Ka Nyar Maw Foundation to hold the six-week football training courses only once a year so far. Moreover, while displaced people in the local camps have welcomed the volunteers’ efforts, they say that organising these activities while staying vigilant for the ever-present threat of junta airstrikes has been no easy task. The group halted a training session the previous month after a junta warplane bombed a displaced people’s camp in neighbouring Hpruso Township. The football pitch where they held their first training session was also damaged by airstrikes in 2022. Nonetheless, the volunteers said the exciting chance to participate in an activity with their peers has drawn large numbers of children from the camps, including young girls. At least 250 children including 70 girls from two camps participated in the training this year, according to the organisation. “There was also a very encouraging response from parents and teachers, who said the children have become more active and confident,” Maw Ree Re said. “The children who participated in the first batch are still practicing football on their own, so we will continue to support them in the future,” she added. Children training at a football practice organised for residents of displaced people’s camps in Demoso Township, Karenni State (Photo: Ka Nyar Maw Foundation) A fighter becomes another kind of volunteer George, a graduate of the Taunggyi Institute of Sport and Physical Education in southern Shan State in his mid-20s, is a dedicated coach passionate about sharing his expertise in football with children. A former member of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force, he was also once a skilled sniper who also trained in handling landmines with his bare hands. He said he started looking for ways to be self-reliant when he realised the external support he had hoped was coming to the pro-democracy forces in his homeland was not going to arrive soon. “At first, everything was challenging,” said George, describing his first attempts at organising football training with little to no outside funds or support. “Finding a safe spot to hold our training was our first priority. We tried to make it happen even without having enough equipment,” he added. As word spread and football practice became more popular, it became necessary to divide the participating children into several teams overseen by 15 qualified trainers, most of them former footballers from local clubs able to play at a professional level. Participants in a football training programme organised for children staying in displaced people’s camps in Demoso Township, Karenni State (Photo: Ka Nyar Maw Foundation) Because of the limited availability of footballs, the groups had to train in sequence, but all the participants remained eager to learn from the professional players and patiently waited their turn, according to George. “I have so much respect for their eagerness to learn,” he said. “Some children came a long way from distant IDP camps and returned home late after the training. Some even found ways to come during the floods.” He noted that children showed no sign of anxiety or worries during the training and entirely focused on the practice. In the future, the group hopes to help the children by forming a team of talented children who can be developed and coached into becoming skilled players, he added. “I believe playing football won’t just help them heal their mental suffering, but also nurture their talent,” he said. “Having dreams is crucial for us to sustain ourselves in a time of war. We must have strong morale to navigate this struggle,” Maw Ree Re said. She also appealed for support for the displaced people in Karenni State and the organisations aiding them. With shortages of essential supplies and limited access to healthcare and education, the situation for displaced people is likely to remain dire as the conflict perpetuated by the military regime in Karenni State drags on. *The name of this source was changed out of consideration for her security.

Children’s football lifts morale for Myanmar’s displaced in war-torn state

Volunteers delivering food to displaced people’s camps in Karenni State saw a chance to provide another essential service: football training to help the children in the camps stay active and inspire a much-needed sense of hope

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