[Video transcript]
On the edge of India’s northern state of Mizoram, this refugee camp is home to hundreds of people from Myanmar’s Chin state.
Senhreling and his family fled across the border after Myanmar Junta troops burnt down their home and village during the military coup in 2021.
Taking what they could, they travelled hundreds of miles on motorbike through forests.
(Senhreling, refugee)
"I miss my home very much; I want to go back home."
Senhreling yearns for his farmlands and the peaceful days before the coup.
(Senhreling, refugee)
"When I saw that our village was burnt down, I was heart-broken, and I wept for days. I was very sad to know that I have no home where I can return anymore."
He often has no income for months, so he struggles to support his family and his wife.
Her health has suffered since being here.
(Farlosungi, refugee)
"My heart condition gets worse and when I think of my village and our situation, I have difficulty breathing. They tell me not to worry. But I only know being a refugee is very difficult."
Senhreling is out looking for work. He visits this market, but, once again, he has no luck today.
(Senhreling, refugee)
"They say they haven’t got a job for me, that I’m too old to work."
This is just one of the many refugee camps along Mizoram’s border with Myanmar. Each time clashes erupt between chin rebel groups and junta troops, there is an influx of migrants. They are welcomed here because of shared ethnic bonds.
But once here, many displaced people find themselves in limbo and struggle to survive.
Today, members of the Young Mizo Association, an NGO, are on their way to the camp to distribute food and other daily essentials. They are the main source of help for people arriving from Myanmar.
Their leader Lalsangzuala and his team make door to door visits to check families who need assistance.
(Lalsangzuala, Vice President YMA NGO)
"The main reason local NGOs like ours help them is that these people are our brothers, and we belong the same ethnic tribe, especially those who lived near the Mizoram-Myanmar border. Some of them are our relatives."
The Chin people who live in this camp are predominantly Christian.
Every Sunday, they gather in this makeshift Church to pray for the safety of their people and loved ones left behind.
Community gatherings like this offer a respite.
(Lalramthanga, refugee camp leader)
"We pray that our country will be safe and peaceful, and that we will not be refugees. We will be able to return to our homes and live in freedom. Our prayer is that our country will be a democracy."
Senhreling and the others who fled Myanmar know that until things change, they can’t return home. But they continue to hope they’ll find a place where they belong.