Ah Htoi

Born in a mountainous village in Kachin State with no public facilities, Ah Htoi moved to a larger town when she was 5. There she attended a school where she loved languages and playing with friends. She met her first love in high school, but he was shot and killed by the Myanmar army. Around that time, she was also forced to leave school because of a vision problem. She studied sewing but it did not interest her.

Happily married at 18, Ah Htoi gave birth to her beloved daughter. A few years later, her husband was abducted by the Myanmar army and has not been heard from since. Ah Htoi wonders where he is. She says she has had to become strong to survive.

When fighting escalated in her area, she and her young daughter were forced to move to a nearby IDP camp. She and others from her community still return to their village when they can tend to their homes and farms. Ah Htoi is a Sunday school teacher, and helped to establish a local support group for other survivors of human rights violations like herself.

Ah Htoi’s body bears scars from childhood injuries and an accident she suffered while collecting firewood. Hypertension and headaches are signs of her ongoing stress.

“I am a stone because I am a very strong person.”

Ah Htoi first and foremost wants to know the truth about what happened to her husband. She aims to continue her work with survivors, particularly with the support group she started, and to help the community find an end to violence as well as alcohol and drug abuse. For the country, she wants fairness and justice.