Strengthening community pathways for youth in Kachin

Myitkyina, Kachin State (Myanmar) - The day began with a ball on a chalk line. Wearing the blue jersey of Japan’s national team over his shirt and tie, Yoshitake  Shogo, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim of Japan to Myanmar, sent the ball sailing across a grass pitch the community calls “Rebirth Stadium.” With that kick, the Unity Cup Football for Recovery and Inclusion was under way. The match was the heart of a field visit to the Rebirth Rehabilitation Centre, where the Japanese delegation saw how a partnership is helping people affected by drug dependence rebuild their lives — and how the community itself is leading that change.

Each partner brings distinct expertise. Karuna Mission Social Solidarity (KMSS)-Myitkyina leads outreach, counselling and case management. The Rebirth Rehabilitation Centre, supported by the Catholic Diocese of Myitkyina and its young volunteers, provides residential rehabilitation and reintegration support. And the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) contributes with evidence-based tools, training and technical assistance, made possible through the support of the Government of Japan.

Opportunity to recover

Kachin State faces a particularly complex drug environment. Years of conflict and displacement have disrupted schooling, separated families and narrowed the choices open to young people, leaving many vulnerable to drug use and the risks associated with it.

Recovery in Kachin rarely begins in a clinic. For many people, it begins in their community, where KMSS outreach teams meet with families in camps for internally displaced people. The teams strengthen families through skills sessions that build communication, supportive relationships and practical ways to manage challenges, while also identifying people who may need support for drug use.

When outreach workers meet someone who may need support, they offer a voluntary and confidential screening using validated tools such as ASSIST. It is not a test to pass or fail, but a conversation that helps a person understand their situation, receive brief counselling and, if they choose, be referred to the centre for treatment. No one is labelled, and every step remains the person’s own decision because early, respectful identification opens the door to recovery before harm deepens.

Inside the centre, walls covered with hand-painted “recovery trees” —their paper leaves carrying residents’ goals and milestones— set the tone for an unhurried conversation between Yoshitake and people in recovery about daily routines, counselling and plans for life after the programme. At the roundtable that followed, participants agreed that sustainable recovery needs more than health support: it needs education, vocational skills and decent work. A young person with a trade and a job has a reason to stay well. The visit reinforced a shared commitment to strengthening partnerships among local authority, civil society, faith-based organizations and the private sector to expand pathways for young people into education, skills development and decent employment.

"For people in recovery, skills and employment can open the door to a more stable future,” said Fr. Paul, Director of KMSS-Myitkyina.

Sport that includes

Then came football. Two teams —residents of the Rebirth Centre playing alongside youth from the Catholic Diocese— shook hands at midfield as guests applauded. There was a golden trophy waiting, but the score mattered far less than the make-up of the teams: playing together creates opportunities for connection, teamwork and participation and can help challenge stigma.  Teamwork, discipline, laughter and the experience of being cheered rather than judged while playing side by side chips away at stigma faster than any leaflet ever could.

UNODC has been supporting community-centred, evidence-based responses to drug-related challenges. Looking ahead, we have had continued interest in approaches that connect recovery to opportunity: extending outreach to more displacement-affected communities, strengthening aftercare and vocational pathways, and engaging employers so that every recovery journey leads somewhere concrete.

"Today, I was deeply encouraged to see how local communities, faith-based organizations and UNODC are working together to support recovery with dignity. Recovery is not only about treatment—it is also about creating opportunities. By investing in young people, developing skills and expanding access to decent work, we can help build stronger, safer and more resilient communities," Said Yoshitake Shogo, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of Japan to Myanmar.

The day ended where it began, on the pitch. Players in orange and yellow bibs knelt around the trophy.　Embassy staff, UN colleagues, sisters and volunteers stood behind them, thumbs raised. “Rebirth Stadium” is a modest grass field behind a whitewashed building. But for the people gathered there, it represents something bigger: recovery is possible,  and investing in people builds communities that are healthier and more resilient for everyone.

“Recovery is not the end of the journey. It is the beginning of a new opportunity — one strengthened through partnership, dignity and hope," said Tun Tun Brang, UNODC Programme Officer in Myanmar.

*Originally published on the UNODC website on 31 July 2026.