The group of a dozen nurses and medics are on their way to vaccinate children and bring medicine and health care to villages in a remote region that until recently was a fearsome war zone. Their mission is symbolic of the changes sweeping Burma, long considered a pariah state isolated from the rest of the world.

Half of the nurses and medics are employees of Burma’s Ministry of Health. The other half are associated with the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), whose armed wing battled the Burma Army for more than 60 years until a ceasefire agreement between the two sides was signed in 2012. The long-running conflict, which involved a number of armed insurgent groups in addition to the KNPP, resulted in tens of thousands of civilians being displaced from their homes, mostly Karenni, one of the country’s many ethnic groups that have rebelled against central government control.

The joint health mission into the heart of the former conflict zone is one of the first fruits of the ceasefire and a larger peace process that participants hope will bring stability to a country that is still grappling with inter-communal violence, human rights abuses and economic inequality.

“This is a groundbreaking and unique moment, one many here never thought they would see,” says Shane Scanlon, of the International Rescue Committee (IRC), who is accompanying the group. The aid group has played a key role in training the Karenni medics and in arranging this joint mission.

“This is the first time that government and ethnic health organizations have joined forces, overcoming decades of mistrust borne of conflict,” he says.

“I was afraid to talk to the government health staff when we first met,” says Seh Reh, a Karenni medic. “There was a lot of suspicion. But working together and preparing for this trip has brought us closer together. Now we are learning from each other.”

With the signing of the ceasefire agreement, a small number of displaced civilians have been trickling back, some from Thailand, where they had been living in refugee camps.

“Most people are still afraid to return,” says Nyunt Naing, an IRC doctor accompanying the mission. “But people tell us that seeing the government and the KNPP working together is increasing their confidence that the ceasefire will hold.”

“The joint health missions are good for everyone,” says Tun Aung Kyi, who oversees all health programs in Karenni State for the Ministry of Health. “Health services are better and more effective.”

Marian Htoo, a government-employed midwife, has made five treks into the former combat zone. She says villagers would never have trusted her without the collaboration of the former resistance groups.

“Before, villagers were scared to show us whatever medicines they had at home,” she says. “They didn’t dare consult with us. Now it’s all changed.”

Preparing to leave Daw Kleh Thae, Scanlon adds, “This is the kind of trust that needs to be rebuilt between all sides, especially in communities that have been so scarred by war.

“Only then can the country see true, lasting peace.”

He expected discussion at the meeting to include who will participate in drafting the framework and the concerns of ethnic national groups.

The chairman of the Unity and Peace Party, U Aung Than Tint, expressed disappointment that the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party and the National League for Democracy were not represented at the September 3 meeting.

The leaders of ethnic minority parties hoped to see the two parties represented at future meetings, he said.