Emergency health and protection support to conflict affected IDPs in southern Kachin and northern Shan States The “Emergency Health Support to Conflict-affected Internally-Displaced Person’s in Southern Kachin and Northern Shan States” project will provide life-saving health care and protection to IDPs and conflict-affected communities facing acute humanitarian needs in the target area.

The IRC has been implementing humanitarian response in northern Shan and southern Kachin States since October 2014. In partnership with Karuna Mission Social Solidarity’s (KMSS) Lashio Office, IRC provides primary and reproductive health services and emergency referral support through mobile health teams in IDP camps located in Muse, Namhkan and Kutkai Townships in northern Shan, and Mansi Township in southern Kachin. This is done in coordination with IDP Camp Management Committees to ensure expanded emergency health access including referrals to secondary and tertiary hospitals. As part of this IRC provides CMCs with emergency referral fund management training.

Additionally, IRC will provide community case management activities through community health volunteers, providing initial Community Health Worker (CHW) training and refresher trainings in collaboration with State and Township Health Departments (SampTHDs). Regular disease outbreak monitoring is also conducted through mobile clinic activities, and SampTHDs receive support for outbreak response activities.

IRC is currently seeking funding to continue to provide primary health and RH services through mobile health teams in 21 camps currently covered by a grant from ECHO, ending this year. During the project period, IRC has built the capacity of the local partner, KMSS Lashio, enabling enhanced staffing, technical skills, and financial management. This project is designed to address the increased acute humanitarian needs and vulnerabilities through a conflict-sensitive programming approach. IRC will continue to support and train CHWs from the targeted villages, strengthening local response and provision of basic health services as well as training Township Health Officers on the revised national RH guidelines. IRC will also conduct a Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) assessment with the results used to develop training for CHWs and IRC and KMSS health staff as well as targeted MHPSS activities for future projects. In addition, IRC has a national emergency preparedness plan in place for Myanmar, regularly providing capacity building to project staff on emergency response as well as providing services immediately to newly displaced persons in newly affected township areas when the need arises. 

Since January 2016, the IRC has also been implementing Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) programming in the target area. With support from ECHO, BPRM, and UNFPA, IRC has established programming across 7 NSS/SKS townships. IRC’s innovative programming utilizes mobile and remote-technology based approaches to provide case management, psychosocial support, referral, and emergency assistance to women and girls experiencing GBV in partnerships with Northern Shan State Women’s Organizations (NSSWON) and KMSS. IRC provides these services through safe spaces in camps as well as Women and Girls’ Centers located in towns accessible to multiple IDP communities as well as host communities. IRC also manages a GBV call support center. This call support center provides technical support to IRC case workers and community focal points who provide services to the communities they reside in, thus ensuring community-driven service delivery. A central component of the program is meeting the acute needs of women and girls through emergency response actions in response to short-term displacement. This is done through the deployment of mobile emergency response staff who can provide case management, PSS, material assistance and referrals. In this respect, service delivery is closely integrated with IRC’s health program.