We had the opportunity to visit a camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) located in the Shan State, Myanmar, just near the Thai border. Home to approximately 300 people, the camp serves as transition point for those fleeing their homes to find protection in Thailand.
There is a small school there with around 60 students, of which 30 are war orphans. A leading teacher at the school mentioned that because of the high altitude and the cold weather, plants normally grown in warmer temperatures have not yielded much results. However, several types (tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants) have the potential to expand and thrive.
Due to a natural abundance of dok-yaa, a type of straw material, some villagers have previously gained income by harvesting the straw and selling it wholesale to broom-making groups on the Thai side of the border. There are, however, a few barriers to consistent income with this activity:
a) the grass can only be harvested during January and February, which leaves the villagers a small window to collect and sell for any given year.
b) The selling price for one kilogram of grass is THB 20. The selling price of one finished broom, on the other hand, is THB 25.
Reducing their food dependence on outside sources can be a great chance for UPLift to interact with the community at this IDP camp. In addition, if the villagers there were to adopt the entire production process of broom making, find sufficient market demand, and sell brooms instead of the grass, then they could not only improve their income but also sustain cash flows for longer than two months.
