As the hot season starts to properly kick in and shade becomes scarcer as the trees shed their leaves, a community hall is needed to protect the occupants in Nattaung displaced persons (IDP) camp.
As temperatures rise the IDPs in Nattaung Camp west of Demoso Township in Karenni State need somewhere shady to stay and meet.
A member of the camp’s refugee affairs committee explained: “We really need a community hall here for everyone. When people gather, the elderly and children are with us too. It's not practical for everyone to sit on the ground, and with summer starting to hit, the leaves have already fallen—it's unbearably hot.”
As the old leaves fall and before the fresh young leaves emerge is the hottest time of year and the IDPs in Nattaung Camp face some of their harshest challenges.
There is a Myanmar proverb that says, ‘A huge shady tree can shelter ten thousand birds.’ Trees can also provide shade for humans and there are plenty of such trees at Nattaung Camp.
Normally their dense foliage provides ample shade where IDPs can do things like hold meetings, run education programmes and organise food distribution.
As reports of junta airstrikes on IDP camps rose, the IDPs at Nattaung Camp felt that the trees’ foliage also protected them from junta airstrikes as it prevented junta reconnaissance aircraft from seeing the camp from the air and targeting the camp with airstrikes.
But now the foliage has fallen, the trees offer little shade and the IDPs are having difficulties finding comfortable places to gather for events like meetings and lectures from social relief organisations offering educational and awareness programmes, according to the aforementioned member of the camp’s refugee affairs committee.
She said: “In the past, when speakers came to give lectures, they would sit under the shade of the trees. The area was covered with dense foliage, making it cool and comfortable for everyone.”
Until the rains start and the trees in the camp sprout new leaves that can once again offer protection to the IDPs, they have to instead use a nearby village hall as a space for children to study and for meetings. But the children’s education has to take priority so a community hall at the IDP camp is also desperately needed as a venue for meetings and other community activities during the hot season.
The IDPs at Nattaung Camp have said they can provide the labour to build a community hall, but they need donors to provide funds for the building materials.
Though Nattaung camp faces occasional hardships, such as food shortages, the 400 residents from around 100 households remain resilient and help each other to overcome problems.
