Supporting Displaced Children in Karenni

While Myanmar moves forward with sham elections, the reality for displaced families remains incredibly grim. For children caught in this conflict, the festive season isn’t a season of joy and gifts —it’s about the daily struggle of life in IDP camps.

Instead of holiday celebrations, they are still unable to return to their homes, living in constant uncertainty with a routine that consists of fleeing to shelters every time a military jet passes overhead.

Thanks to our generous supporters, this festive season we were able to provide meals for over 600 displaced children at IDP schools in Karenni. A huge thank you to the donors who made this vital support possible.

Elections

As of late 2025, the military junta is attempting to project an image of stability through a multi-phase election process that began on December 28. However, the international community, including the UN and various human rights organizations, has labeled these polls a “theatre of the absurd.”

• Exclusion and Repression: Major opposition parties, including the National League for Democracy (NLD), have been dissolved, and many leaders remain imprisoned.
• Voter Intimidation: New laws criminalize any criticism of the election, with penalties ranging from long prison sentences to the death penalty.
• Ongoing Violence: The elections are taking place while the military continues to carry out airstrikes and ground offensives in regions like Karenni, forcing thousands more to flee.

A total of 3,995 areas including 223 wards and 3,772 village tracts, are also excluded from the election, including most of Karenni where the junta continues to commit ongoing atrocities. In a recent BBC interview a senior military figure General Tayza Kyaw justified airstrikes on schools and hospitals by declaring that those who oppose military rule “cannot be viewed as people”.

This sham process, manufactured by the military junta and rooted in mass violence, exclusion, and fear, can never deliver peace, stability, or security. Instead, it deepens pain and suffering inside Myanmar and threatens regional stability. It is the culmination of a brutal campaign in which the military junta has openly declared the majority of the population to be its enemy.