In 2026, Maryknoll Thailand seeks to continue its collaboration with Caritas Thailand in providing emergency relief to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in three Myanmar dioceses—Loikaw, Hpa An, and Mandalay—just across the border from the Diocese of Chiang Mai.

At the request of the Chiang Mai Diocese, Maryknoll began this ministry in 2022, responding to the urgent need for food, medicine, and emergency aid for families uprooted by ongoing violence. For more than three years, we have faithfully supported IDPs, yet the crisis has only deepened. Today, over three million people are displaced within Myanmar, and the numbers continue to rise as attacks by the Myanmar Armed Forces persist. Father Barth and his team’s efforts focus on families closest to the Thai border—though requests from new families grow each month. With refugee camps in Thailand at full capacity and the government refusing to recognize new arrivals, cross-border aid remains the only hope for many.

Eighty-five percent of our budget goes directly to food relief, sustaining the most basic needs of IDP families who otherwise face hunger and despair. Your support ensures that Maryknoll can continue to stand alongside these vulnerable families, offering compassion, dignity, and hope in a time of great suffering.