UNICEF Water project helps peace to flow in villages of Myanmar’s Kayin State

Boo Bwe village is high up in the mountains of Myanmar’s conflict-affected Kayin State – the tarmac road runs out 14 miles from Hlaingbwe town, and travellers then have to navigate a narrow unpaved road for 16 miles through the forests to get there. 

The conflict in Kayin is a long-standing and complex one, with perennial water scarcity among the contributing factors. Struggle for access to limited water sources can exacerbate existing tensions and lead to violent confrontations. 

In the case of Kayin, addressing water scarcity can be a vital step toward building peace and stability in the region. 

In Boo Bwe and surrounding villages, UNICEF, in partnership with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Myanmar, launched a “Water as Catalyst for Peace (WC4P)” project in October 2023, which aims to build community togetherness by addressing water scarcity.  

The centre of this project is the youth of the communities, who participated in all stages of project feasibility, planning, implementation, operation and maintenance management. The project is one step towards peacebuilding by promoting a sense of communal ownership and assisting in the resolution of water-related disputes among communities.  

Saw Eh Roe, a 21-year-old from Boo Bwe village, stopped going to school when COVID-19 hit. Instead, he has been helping his parents and five siblings by looking after the family’s cattle and paddy fields. When this project came along, Saw Eh Roe got the opportunity of being the bookkeeper for the village water committee.  

The project trained Saw Eh Roe and the other young people in the community on leadership, mediation, and negotiation skills. At first, many, including Saw Eh Roe himself, weren’t too sure about joining the trainings.

“A lot of us didn’t want to attend the trainings because we felt it would be too stressful,” recalled Saw Eh Roe. 

However, he was soon enjoying the courses and used his new-found mediation skills when his mother told him he had to honour family tradition by helping a neighbour harvest their paddy field, which coincided with his training schedule.  

“Before, whenever we had problems within the family, we would just get angry at each other,” he said. “I didn’t know how to communicate with my parents properly, especially when seeking permission for certain things. The training has helped me voice my opinions and thoughts in a healthier way. For example, when I wanted to go to the training, I explained it would help me with my new job and my little brother could harvest the field in my place - and my mom agreed!” 

“Through the training with the WC4P project, I have come to know how to calmly solve problems and how to talk to my parents more effectively,” said Saw Eh Roe. 

Projects like this bring young people like Saw Eh Roe into activities that have a positive impact on the community and build confidence - while the broader goal is to strengthen unity within the community by offering fair and conflict-aware WASH services.  

The project has directly benefited 3,000 people across six villages and facilitated improved access to running water for 10,000 school children and families. This impact extended to health facilities and primary schools in 23 nearby villages, enhancing overall water accessibility in the region. 

Overall, initiatives like the one in Boo Bwe village offer hope for the people of Kayin and demonstrate the importance of multi-directional approaches to conflict resolution and development in long-standing conflict zones. 

UNICEF’s WASH programme in Myanmar works with partners and communities to increase access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, and address environmental degradation and climate change, for a safe and sustainable environment as envisioned by children and young people.