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Enduring Hardships with Hope

Ni Ni Htwe Mon is a 42, a mother of one from Thein Kone Village Mudon Township, Mon State, and she has faced significant challenges as a returning migrant. After working in a sardine factory in Thailand for 160 Thai baht per day for two years, she was able to send remittances to her parents. However, when her father fell seriously ill, she returned home to be with him during his final days.

With hard-earned savings, Ni Ni Htwe purchased a small piece of land, hoping to secure a better future for herself and her family. However, her plans were disrupted when the person she purchased the land from’s nephew contested their ownership in court, claiming the land for himself. Despite lacking legal knowledge, Ni Ni Htwe had to spend 2,000,000 MMK on a lawyer. Unfortunately, the lawyer transferred before resolving the case, and she had to hire a new lawyer, further increasing her debt to 3,000,000 MMK. She recalls the moment, saying, “Facing hardship after hardship, I just kept going with my life selling dried fish in the market, hoping good things would eventually come.”

With limited skills beyond farming and vending, life was extremely difficult before receiving support. Dependent on sporadic odd jobs she left her family in constant uncertainty. Receiving cash support from IOM and partner, brought much-needed relief. She expressed her gratitude, saying, “I don’t have much to enjoy in life besides this support. Thank you, and more thank you.”

Despite the challenges, Ni Ni Htwe remains hopeful. She dreams of building a livable house, as her family currently lives in a makeshift tent. She also wishes for increased support for IOM and partners to continue helping others in similar situations.