Delhi

Most of the Burmese live in the west of Delhi (an hour from the centre by auto rickshaw) in Janakpuri, Vikaspuri and Budhella. Areas with poor sanitation and overcrowded housing. Language is a challenge for the many Burmese with no English or Hindi. As foreigners in Delhi they face the discrimination that is generally prevalent to refugees and people from the North East. For women security is an issue and it is not safe to go out after dark. With the poverty are the accompanying issues of poor health and lack of adequate education.

"We are somehow surviving. Life in Delhi is very difficult, we are very poor in Burma but the life here is worse. The room where we live is like a cage, everything is strange, we are looked down upon by everyone and it is very difficult to earn enough for ourselves, communication is difficult and the culture is different. Four of us share a room which is about 8 feet by 8 feet. Three families living in the same floor share a single toilet..."

In 2006 there were roughly 1,826 Burmese living in Delhi, now there are over 10,000 with numbers continuing to grow.