Myanmar is currently confronting multiple challenges including finding a sustainable end to more than 50 years of armed conflict. Kayin State is one of the most war-torn states in Myanmar. The long civil war divided people in Kayin State based on their religion and ethnicity. The sociopolitical context in Myanmar is still greatly affected by recent tensions and clashes between the government and the ethnic armed groups.  

Literature suggests that while national-level peace agreements provide a good space for creating initial peace, their effect won’t be instantaneous; they must be supported by auxiliary work at the grassroots level to achieve sustainable peace.  

Football United’s Football for Peace programme empowers university students to become local change agents through leading social cohesion, grassroots peace, and reconciliation initiatives for conflict-armed communities in the state.