Villages in Myanmar

The project 'Support a Village' is based on a cooperative mindset, where everyone help each other and the community strengthens the individual family. The aid supports a variety of initiatives, including the establishment of vegetable gardens, worm breeding for compost and fertilizers, start-up of livestock farming, establishing rice banks to ensure food stock during droughts, improving toilet and sanitation conditions and training of health workers.

The project also gives women in rural communities the opportunity to establish savings groups, where they in turn can borrow money for investments. These investments may allow them to rent a piece of land for rice cultivation and thereby guarantee them a regular income.

'Support a village' goes well beyond teaching a number of women about vegetable gardens and livestock. Many families will be able to afford sending their children to school and the whole family's future is thereby improved.

Myanmar is a country undergoing rapid development. In recent years, the country has experienced reforms and democratization. The press has become increasingly free and people have gotten more rights.

Myanmar is also a country with endless possibilities and a population who has the energy and desire to improve their community and who is ready to make an effort to be able to take care of themselves.

The aim of the 'Support a village' is to give the Burmese exactly the help that is needed to push the development forward and enable them to take over after help is given.

Since the country’s independence in 1948, successive military juntas have been in power. Years of neglect, isolation, lack of investment from abroad and ethnic conflicts mean that today every fourth Burmese are trapped in poverty without access to basic health and education services.

More than 500,000 people in Myanmar are internal refugees or live in exile outside the country. Unexploded mines and ammunitions hinder the development of large areas, particularly at the Thailand border.

The elections of 2010 and 2012 gave the NLD (National League for Democracy) with opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi political influence. At the same time, the new civilian-military government of President U Thein Sein embarked on a political reform which has resulted in a partial restoration of freedom of expression, greater scope for civil society work and the ability to be critical towards the government and state administration. But there is still much to be done.

DanChurchAid (Folkekirkens Nødhjælp) are leading the 'Support a Village' project.

You can read more about the organisation and the project on their website: https://www.danchurchaid.org/