Voices from Lailenpi
We are truly grateful for the generous donors who stepped up to offer their assistance and provide a much-needed contribution to support the individuals in Lailenpi who were encountering urgent and critical needs. The local aid team engaged in a conversation with an elderly man from the Chin community, attentively listening to his account, and meticulously documenting his words before skillfully translating them into English for broader understanding. We share them with you here.
“Knowing that someone we never met or knew has reached out to help us in this way and is giving us food, in a situation like this, I firmly believe that this is the only thing coming from God; God has sent his angel through them.”
I'm 53 years old, called Vetu (not my real name), and I have two daughters and three sons. Following the battle in Lailenpi between the CDF and SAC, the military of Myanmar attacked and bombed the area for several days, destroying numerous homes and even killing one civilian. For our own safety, our family fled to the closest village from Lailenpi, leaving everything that belonged to us behind. As the family's leader and father, I was unable to imagine how we would manage to survive. Not only our family, but the entire population of Lailenpi has fled, and we now make up the majority of the people in our refuge village. It is also impossible for us to obtain enough food, clothing, and blankets from the host community.
Our family finds it extremely problematic that the host community can only provide us with two days of food, as we are now completely dependent on them. The state of the nation, where a farmer like me cannot make a living for more than a year with zero income, where can I obtain necessities for my family, and there are numerous transportation-related restrictions and not able to work or labour as freely as before? Knowing that someone we never met or knew has reached out to help us in this way and is giving us food, in a situation like this, I firmly believe that this is the only thing coming from God; God has sent his angel through them.
Compared to last month, things are much better now that we can go to Lailenpi and get food and some belongings, but I'm still unsure of how to get past this 2024. We are still unable to fully enter Lailenpi and live as freely as we once did because no one can guarantee us complete security from the Myanmar Military, which is still heavily bombing the entire country.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the donor for thinking of us and giving us food during this difficult time. My family, I, and the people of Lailenpi would like to express our gratitude to them and ask Heavenly Father to use and bless them abundantly. Actually, I don't know how to survive and adapt in this way, so all I can do is pray for peace and freedom in our nation. If not, we will continue to live in this condition; it's just a matter of time before things get better or worse, who knows? Other than that, all I can do is pray, believe, and hold out hope for a better future.
