Help put girls at the forefront of change

“We talked about emergencies, and what we can do to prepare for them, like packing an emergency go-bag and having a meet-up plan for after the emergency.  Talking through all of this was a big relief for me.” – Htang Ra, age 16, Kachin State

In October 2024, we organized “mini forums” for girls in 38 distinct communities across six regions.  Altogether 2,387 girls gathered with their peers and trained local women facilitators in their communities.

When planning for the girls’ forums this year, we spoke with our colleagues and girls in different parts of the country to hear their main concerns.  There was a clear sense of anxiety and a general lack of knowing what to do in the event of a disaster—or even multiple disasters happening simultaneously—for instance, the recent flash flood in the major city of Myitkyina in Kachin State, combined with air raids from the ongoing civil conflict.  Disasters are impacting girls, inducing fear and instability in their lives.

Emergency preparedness is not discussed at home, schools, or churches.  This is why we decided to design our girls’ forums this year to increase awareness around potential disasters, provide basic emergency preparedness skills and strategies, and help build girls’ resilience and ability to respond to emergencies.  The forum activities included group discussions, performances, emergency go-bag packing relays, and techniques for keeping calm in a high-stress situation.

At the forums, we organized girls into teams to play a simple relay game, where a girl from each team took turns selecting an item to put in their team’s go-bag.  After the high-speed relay, filled with giggles and hard-slapping tag-offs, we talked about what they chose to put in their go-bags and why.  For example, they had selected items like copies of personal identification papers, matches, drinking water, rain poncho, flashlight, etc.

Then we pointed out some non-essential or impractical items in the bags, like an electric cooking pot, some eggs, or hand sanitizer, and we discussed why these items might not be appropriate for a go-bag.  Girls said it was helpful to think through what would be useful in an emergency.  The go-bag packing activity was particularly memorable for girls, as it was something they could really do to prepare themselves.

"I never thought about preparing an emergency go-bag.  When my family fled our home in the past because of fighting in our village, we didn’t have time to think about what to take with us... Now I know how to prepare things that we need in a go-bag, so we are ready.” – Nwe Nwe, age 14, Mandalay Region

Next was a performance to demonstrate what could happen during an emergency.  Girls were guided to brainstorm their own emergency communications plan—what phone numbers to call, where to go for shelter and help, and how to regroup before returning home.

 “When something bad happens at home, my family members and I typically respond by getting angry.  But instead of getting upset, we need to help each other and have a clear plan of what we will do.” – Cho Thin, age 15, Yangon Region

To close off, we practiced a few simple techniques to stay calm during a stressful situation.  One technique was singing songs together in a group, doing something tactile with your hands like doodling to help pass the time, and simple 3-count breathing exercises.

"We learned that in an emergency, being prepared can help us overcome danger.... We learned how to relax and calm our minds when we are upset." – Nan Shwe, age 13, Shan State

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We would like to extend peaceful wishes to you this holiday season and express our gratitude for your continued support and solidarity.  With your support, we will continue pursuing justice and equality together

– Girl Determined Team

* As per our robust child protection policy, the phots and quotations in this report do not include the actual girls’ names or specific locations.  This ensures the anonymity and safekeeping of the girls with whom we work.