Front-line responders protecting women and girls amidst crises in Myanmar

*Naw Paw was six months pregnant when she had to flee her village in Kayin. "I thought I would lose my baby," she recalled. The fear only began to lift when the front-line workers from a UNFPA-supported partner found her in a displaced community in southeast Myanmar.

Naw Paw finally felt reassured. “At that moment, I knew my baby would have a chance. They checked my baby's heartbeat, and told me I was not alone.”

Days later, after fearing for her health and that of her unborn baby, she gave birth safely.

Naw Paw, 24, is among the 8.4 million women and girls in Myanmar who need humanitarian assistance. UNFPA-supported frontline aid and health workers reach crisis-affected communities with essential sexual and reproductive health, GBV and psychosocial support services. 

Frontline workers are the backbone of the humanitarian response 

When crises hit, frontline responders are often the first to reach communities, and the last to leave — travelling by foot, by motorbike, sometimes by boat — bringing life-saving support to those who need help the most in times of uncertainty and instability. They themselves are affected by the same crises as the people they serve.

"We see pregnant women terrified of giving birth without medical support. And adolescents who have no access to sanitary pads or hygiene supplies," said one of UNFPA-supported aid workers in southeast Myanmar. 

In 2026, UNFPA-supported frontline workers reached around 330,000 people providing integrated life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare services, gender-based violence (GBV), and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) nationwide. Through these efforts, women and girls in Myanmar were able to find safety, essential health, and dignity. Behind these numbers stand frontline heroes actively supporting, and protecting women and girls, even in areas where formal systems fail to reach.

For *Thuzar, a volunteer with a UNFPA-supported partner in Shan, she reaches women who are too often left out of the conversation. "I work for women in my village to provide them access to accurate health information and knowledge," she shared. Watching women choose modern contraception for themselves, and make informed decisions about their own bodies, is what keeps her going.

"It is incredibly rewarding to see them make healthy decisions for themselves."

Under UNFPA-supported programme, *Cho is a Centre Manager for a local women center in southern Shan. She proudly shared, "I remain committed to this work because I see firsthand how important our support is for the safety, health and survival of women and girls, especially under difficult circumstances." 

At Women and Girls’ safe spaces, she facilitates information sessions on gender-based violence prevention, psychosocial support, and awareness on reproductive health for women and girls who were forced to leave their homes across Shan. "Reaching those in need, and seeing their smiles when they feel a sense of safety, gives me the strength to keep going," said Cho. 

"We need more than just promises"

"The mounting stress in a challenging environment took a toll on our well-being," said *Nang, who currently works at a women’s center for displaced communities. 

"It affects our families. We work under constant pressure and uncertainty."

Many frontline responders describe the risks they carry to simply do what they do.

The lives of aid workers are increasingly targeted while performing their duties worldwide. Globally, 350 aid workers were killed last year. In 2025 alone, there were more than 1,400 attacks on healthcare, resulting in the deaths of nearly 2,000 civilians, including health workers and their patients. 

In Myanmar, according to the latest OCHA report, more than 16 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. For many women and girls who need access to essential services, and a safe place for maternal care, the targeting of frontline responders disrupts their access to life-saving support, leaving them without the care they urgently need.

Act for humanity

Frontline workers must never be a target in conflict. 

Women and girls must be protected at all times. 

Women must be able to give birth safely, even amid crises. 

This is what UNFPA and its partners are calling for: safety of humanitarian workers and the communities they serve. 

Not promises left on paper, but protection that reaches the ground. Commitments must turn into action.

"We truly need effective protection and space so we can bring support safely to the community," said Cho.

Every humanitarian worker is more than a number. They are parents, children, partners, friends, colleagues and members of the communities they serve.

Naw Paw's daughter was born safely because she was reached by a responder, even in the darkest time, even in fear, even when the road ahead was uncertain.

On this World Humanitarian Day, UNFPA stands with frontline responders in Myanmar who keep showing up for women like Naw Paw. UNFPA is committed to provide women and girls with life-saving sexual and reproductive healthcare, MHPSS, and gender-based violence prevention and response services across Myanmar.

*Name changed for privacy. 

*This story was originally published on the UNFPA Myanmar website on 19 August 2026.