Mro people, Christian Aid Ministires
SALT savings group in Myanmar

Reaching the Mro people of Myanmar

SALT is starting savings groups in an unusual setting—a village of refugees who recently fled their homes due to violence in western Myanmar. These refugees are part of the Mro people ethnic group.

These people, primarily village farmers, are stranded. They have not been able to go back to their homes due to ongoing conflict as well as COVID restrictions. As they settle into a new area, finding a way to provide food is a huge challenge. This new area will likely become a long-term home for them.

Seeing the needs of the Mro refugees, SALT staff had a vision to help them find ways to provide for themselves. Before launching a savings group of twenty-seven men, a SALT staff member shared the Bible story of Abram and how he left his home not knowing where he was going, but trusting God to lead. This story connected with the Mro refugees as they had recently left their homes, not knowing what was in store. The story of Abram stuck, and they named their savings group the New Canaan Group. “It is exciting for them to be able to meet weekly to hear truth from God’s Word and work together,” reports a SALT staff member in Myanmar.

This fertile land was made available for the Mro refugees to grow food for their hungry families.
Mro people, Christian Aid Ministires
Before
Mro people, Christian Aid Ministires
After

The savings group members are saving to buy land for their new homes. They are also thinking about the future of their families and are saving so their children can go to school. Until the refugees can acquire their own land, some land is being provided for them so they can plant crops and provide food for their families.

When forced displacements take place, this often brings an open door to teach the way of Jesus to people who otherwise may have never heard of Him. We are working with a Mro pastor who has a passion to reach his people with the truth of God’s Word. “It is only by the grace of God that this has happened,” shares a Mro Christian. “Now the Mro children can receive education safely, and I can share the Gospel with my fellow Mro people.”