Institute Of Chin Affairs

THE INSTITUTE OF CHIN AFFAIRS INC. (ICA) IS COMMITTED TO UPLIFTING THE CHIN PEOPLE OF MYANMAR THROUGH DEDICATED EFFORTS IN EDUCATION, HUMANITARIAN SUPPORT, AND RESEARCH. SPECIFICALLY, ITS MISSIONS INCLUDE: - TO CREATE INCLUSIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THAT CELEBRATE THE RICH CULTURAL HERITAGE OF CHIN COMMUNITY. - TO PROVIDE ESSENTIAL ASSISTANCE TO VULNERABLE CHIN COMMUNITIES DURING TIMES OF HARDSHIP. - TO CONDUCT RESEARCH FOR UNDERSTANDING THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FACED BY THE CHIN PEOPLE AND TO DEFEND THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS. - TO EMPOWER THE CHIN COMMUNITY, PROMOTE CULTURAL PRESERVATION, AND CONTRIBUTE TO A MORE DEVELOPED, JUST AND COMPASSIONATE SOCIETY WHERE EVERYONE IS TREATED EQUALLY.

RESEARCH PROGRAM: UNDER ITS MOU WITH MIZORAM UNIVERSITY, THE ICA ESTABLISHED THE CHIN RESEARCH CENTRE AT MIZORAM UNIVERSITY IN AIZAWL, MIZORAM STATE, INDIA IN SEPTEMBER 2022. WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH PROGRAM (IDRC), THE ICA ALSO STARTED A RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM FOR DISPLACED MYANMAR STUDENTS IN SEPTEMBER 2022 WITH 5 RESEARCH FELLOWS AND PROGRAM STAFF MEMBERS IN AIZAWL, MIZORAM. AT THE END OF 2023, THE 5 FELLOWS SUBMITTED THEIR FINAL RESEARCH PAPERS AND ICA IS IN THE PROCESS OF PUBLISHING THEIR PAPERS. (AT THE TIME OF WRITING THIS REPORT, 4 OF THE RESEARCH FELLOWS HAVE FOUND EMPLOYMENT WITH DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND ONE OF THEM WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE HER MBA PROGRAM AT MIZORAM UNIVERSITY.) ADDITIONALLY, WE SUCCESSFULLY COLLABORATED WITH TWO PHD STUDENTS, ONE FROM CANADA AND ONE FROM THE US, TO PRODUCE TWO RESEARCH PAPERS IN TOTAL. ADDITIONALLY, WE COMPLETED A RESEARCH PAPER ON THE PARTICIPATION OF CHIN WOMEN IN POLITICS. THE BURMESE LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS COURSE WHICH WAS LAUNCHED IN SEPTEMBER 2022 AS PART OF THE ICA'S MOU WITH MIZORAM UNIVERSITY WAS COMPLETED IN JUNE 2023. THE SECOND BATCH OF THIS COURSE WAS LAUNCHED IN NOVEMBER 2023 WITH 12 STUDENTS ENROLLED.

HEALTHCARE: SINCE MAY 18, 2022, THE INSTITUTE OF CHIN AFFAIRS WORK WITH ITS PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS TO PROVIDE BASIC HEALTHCARE SERVICES TO DISPLACED AND MOST NEEDY PERSONS IN CHIN STATE OF MYANMAR AND MIZORAM STATE OF INDIA. DURING 2023, THE ICA RAN A CLINIC (LAILUN MEDICAL CENTRE) AT ZOKHAWTHAR VILLAGE, CHAMPHAI DISTRICT, MIZORAM STATE, INDIA. THE ICA ALSO OPERATED MOBILE CLINICS FOR MYANMAR REFUGEES IN CHAMPHAI DISTRICT AND AIZAWL DISTRICTS IN MIZORAM. THE ICA MEDICAL TEAMS RAN MOBILE CLINICS 22 TIMES AT DIFFERENT REFUGEE CAMPS IN CHAMPHAI DISTRICT AND 7 TIMES AT AIZAWL DISTRICT DURING 2023. INSIDE CHIN STATE, THE ICA MEDICAL TEAMS RAN A DAILY CLINIC SINCE JANUARY 2023 AND A MINI HOSPITAL SINCE MAY 2023 WITH TWO DOCTORS AND 5 NURSES AND A MIDWIFE. THE ICA MEDICAL TEAM WAS ABLE TO TREAT OVER 6,500 PATIENTS IN MIZORAM, INDIA AND 14,500 PATIENTS IN CHIN STATE DURING 2023. THE MEDICAL TEAM ALSO CONDUCTED FIRST AID TRAINING TWO TIMES, ONE AT ICA'S MINI HOSPITAL NEAR INDIAN BORDER IN CHIN STATE AND ANOTHER ONE AT ICA CLINIC AT ZOKHAWTHAR VILLAGE IN MIZORAM. 40 MEMBERS FROM DIFFERENT IDP AND REFUGEE CAMPS PARTICIPATED IN THE TRAINING.

EDUCATION: DURING 2023, ICA SUPPORTED 13 TEACHERS AT 5 REFUGEE SCHOOLS FOR NEARLY 2000 MYANMAR REFUGEE CHILDREN IN CHAMPHAI DISTRICT OF MIZORAM STATE, INDIA. ICA ALSO PROVIDED SCHOOL UNIFORMS AND LEARNING MATERIALS FOR APPROXIMATELY 2,000 DISPLACED STUDENTS AT THESE TWO LOCATIONS AND IN AIZAWL DISTRICT OF MIZORAM STATE, INDIA. ADDITIONALLY WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE MYANMAR EDUCATION CONSORTIUM (MEC), ICA AND ITS LOCAL PARTNER ORGANIZATION (CHIN NATIONAL EDUCATION NETWORK - CNEN) STARTED A PROJECT SUPPORTING OVER 100 SCHOOLS WITH OVER 550 TEACHERS AND NEARLY 6,000 STUDENTS IN FALAM TOWNSHIP, CHIN STATE, MYANMAR IN OCTOBER 2023. THESE SCHOOLS ARE LOCATED IN RURAL VILLAGES IN FALAM TOWNSHIP, SERVING THE POOREST CHILDREN IN CHIN STATE.