Myanmar

In Myanmar, we are working with the Lutheran World Federation Myanmar and thanks to a great support from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the CR and the Czech Development Agency.

In the past, we had focused on the provision of drinking water, including the development of local water and sanitation infrastructure. We are currently focusing on general resilience building for local communities affected by humanitarian crises.

In particular, we had been supplying basic equipment such as plastic tarpaulins, mats, blankets, ropes, mosquito nets, kitchen utensils and clothing to camps where Muslim Rohingya have taken refuge.

Gradually, we have started to focus on the prevention of natural disasters, as fires, for example, pose a great danger and can destroy an entire camp in a matter of hours. People usually live in so-called longhouses, occupied by up to eight families. These are long houses built of bamboo, wood and reeds, a highly flammable material. Other natural disasters, such as floods and frequent cyclones, are also a threat. For several years, we have therefore paid attention to the disaster risk reduction, creating strategic plans, distributing first aid kits, training volunteer firefighters and, last but not least, building important social infrastructure (roads, paths, jetties, water tanks, wells, etc.).

In addition to adverse external conditions, camp residents also suffer from the trauma of conflict, loss of home, livelihood and security. Therefore, we have also provided psychosocial support or promoted social cohesion with the involvement of the Muslim and Buddhist communities in joint projects such as road construction.

We are keen that the beneficiaries of our assistance become independent as soon as possible. We therefore support them in small-scale entrepreneurship and finding sources of self-support. We provide training in developing business plans, vocational training in selected activities (motorbike repair, food preparation, sewing, fishing net making or carpentry) and workshops to link them to the local market. We also focus on providing education in Muslim and Buddhist villages, where we repair school buildings, add new schools and supply teaching aids to schools.