Last year, through our World Mission Sunday appeal we invited parishioners to find out more about the work of missionaries in Myanmar as they walk alongside communities that are in great distress due to the ongoing civil war.
Sr Regina, and her Congregation of the Good Shepherd Sisters in Myanmar, continues to bring spiritual and practical assistance to people who have had to flee their homes. The situation in Myanmar was grave this time last year, so we have been saddened to learn that circumstances have become even worse…
Through tears, she recently shared:
‘We are rigorously initiating emergency response programmes, psychosocial support programmes and community-based education to protect the vulnerable. The prayerful and financial support from Missio encourages us to continue our mission with a compassionate heart, despite our own personal sorrows and struggles.’
Children are the worst affected
Our community here in England and Wales rose to meet the dire needs in Myanmar during World Mission Sunday in 2025 – praying fervently and donating generously. Devastatingly, Myanmar continues to face a severe humanitarian catastrophe – one in which, Sr Regina tells us, children and young people bear the heaviest burden.
As well as being physically caught in the crossfire, with civilian areas targeted, children in Myanmar also face every imaginable disruption – to their family life, their education and their homes, as well as dealing with anxiety and trauma, and an increased threat of abuse.
Sr Regina has given us permission to share her words with you:
‘Children are increasingly caught in the crossfire of the escalating conflict. The military’s intensification of airstrikes and ground offensives has seen schools, camps for displaced people and civilian areas targeted.
‘The conflict creates significant barriers to education, with Internally Displaced children having less access to schooling than non-displaced peers. Schools are often used as shelters or damaged, hindering education.
‘Young children are facing high risks of abuse, including sexual violence, child labour and forced recruitment into armed groups.
‘All these causes direct physical harm, severe psychological trauma, disrupts education and malnutrition and essential health services. The future is uncertain, and women and children become victims because the overcrowded and substandard shelters in Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps facilitate the rapid spread of diseases and sexual abuse.’
Continuing to reach out to others
Alongside the wider Burmese community, Sr Regina and the Sisters are experiencing trauma themselves and yet, they continue to support and stand by those that in the depths of despair. She explains:
‘People are living in constant fear for their safety, with widespread anxiety and stress. Displacement, loss of family members and witnessing violence are leaving deep, long-term psychological scars. They have also experienced loss of family members; their homes were burnt and all family members were scattered in different places.’
But, she says, the Sisters are supporting and helping one another through their pain:
‘After asking many questions, expressing true pain and struggles, through the personal and communal healing process and finding space for reflection in a quiet place, we are able to regulate our emotions and regain the strength to accompany wounded people. The sufferings of Jesus become more meaningful in our faith journey.’
‘They put landmines around our convent’
Sr Regina’s community is still in need of much prayer and support. The most recent news we received is that Sr Regina and her Sisters were given special permission to visit their convent, after needing to flee for safety. She shared:
‘We went into our compound with special permission yesterday. [During the conflict] different military groups took command of it and stayed there whilst they were fighting. They put landmines around it when they left. All the buildings; convent, women’s shelter, residential care for school girls and early childhood care program were damaged. We will need to have the area swept by specialists to remove the landmines before we can return safely.’
Thank you for helping
It’s hard to imagine what it must feel like for the Sisters to have had to leave their home, then return to find it damaged and full of danger. But your prayers and support give them hope and let them know that they are not alone. Sr Regina says:
‘Without the help of Missio supporters, our mission will be withered. The solidarity and loving concern of the supporters reminds us to continue our mission with commitment. We, all of us, are parts of the whole and are interconnected for our wellbeing. We are co-creators of a better world where every human can live joyfully.’
