Meet Kawn Ja Htoi Tsin from Myanmar

22/1/2023

A young Kachin girl wearing a yellow tshirt at her preschool

Five year old Kawn Ja Htoi Tsin lives in Kachin State, Myanmar; where thousands of internally displaced people have sought refuge in remote mountain camps, following decades of conflict and repression from the Myanmar military. She attends one of the preschools Children on the Edge support for the youngest children in Kachin State.

Read her story...

Five year old Kawn Ja Htoi Tsin is attending her final year at Maga Yang Early Childhood Development Centre - one of 15 preschools we currently support for young displaced children in Myanmar.

One of four siblings, her elder sister also attended the same centre. Her father suffers from a personality disorder, so she is mainly cared for by her mother.

Kawn Ja Htoi Tsin is wearing a red and black jumper stood outside in a garden in Kachin State

Before she started at Maga Yang centre, she behaved aggressively, always wanted to play her own games instead of joining in with the others, and was reluctant to eat. After being at the centre for a while, she became more gentle. Her curiosity grew and she began to ask lots of questions, and always ate her food.

Her mother said that “I don’t have as much time to spend with her as I would like, so I was very worried about her. Now though, she looks like a cheerful child all the time and she has got to know many new words. I feel happy to see my child’s development progress”.

Four young Kachin children stood inside their preschool classroom, in the middle is Kawn Ja Htoi Tsin

She now enjoys playing with friends

Kawn Ja Htoi Tsin reaching into a toy basket full of colourful blocks

Playing with toys at her preschool

“I want to go to school. I like to sing songs and dance with my friends. I have snacks. I help my mother at home by doing things like washing the bowls and plates and sweeping the floor”.

Programme Manager Tu Li says, “For a child, the ECD centre is a good place to find out about the nature of the world. To be a good leader for the wider community, not only should a child be intelligent but also good-natured. Kawn Ja Htoi Tsin has been a quick learner from the people around her, and through being a good learner, I can see she might be a good leader in the future.”

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