2013 in Review

By David H. Mueller

This year, LWF launched a new six-year strategy (2013-2018) that allowed us to consolidate the work started in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta in response to the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, in May 2008 and to expand to more needy areas.

Our Rights-Based Empowerment approach to sustainable development – which stresses advocacy, sustainability, community leadership and respect for human rights – has had dramatic effects in the 50 villages in the delta.

Community-based organizations have begun to function more confidently. Village residents are better equipped to lead their own development agendas, including drafting and implementing annual household and village-level plans. Village Development Committees are now linked to township and district governments, allowing them to more easily advocate for support of their needs and goals to relevant officials.  Every village now has a Disaster Risk Management committee, Parent Teacher Association, Children’s Club, Youth Club and Women’s Group.

We plan to duplicate this model in Kayin State from where the majority of 140,000 Myanmar immigrants in Thailand are from and are likely to return.  We are negotiating an MoU with Kayin State to start work there.  We are also exploring possibilities to work in Magwe Region, which is part of the food insecure dry-zone of the country.

LWF entered Rakhine State in June 2013, following an ACT Appeal on behalf of the 140,000 displaced by inter-communal violence of June and October 2012.  Our work in the camps (which include both Muslim and Buddhist camps) assists 85,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the areas of fire safety, camp management, primary education and community-based psychosocial support activities.

So far, our experience in Myanmar has provided more evidence that development has a good chance of becoming genuine, sustainable and shared when respect for human rights is placed firmly at the core. We sincerely thank all of our partners for their support and look forward to a continued close and productive partnership in the future. Together we can do more to “Uphold the rights of the poor and oppressed!”

David H. Mueller is country representative for the LWF Myanmar program.