KHIN MYAT THUN, EXPERIENCE FOR THE COMMUNITY

KHIN MYAT THUN, EXPERIENCE FOR THE COMMUNITY

Khin Myat Thun1Another chapter of STORIES FROM ANOTHER WORLD! Today we would like to introduce Khin Myat Tun, who has been our agronomist for more than 10 years. Thanks to her, we always find out how much our projects concretely help people in rural villages in the Taunggyi area.

“I took part in New Humanity 10 years ago to spread my knowledge and help the communities in agriculture, education and water management. I conducted agricultural trainings with the help of the Department of Agriculture together with the staff of the Mitta Foundation. It was a colleague from the Mitta Foundation who introduced me to the village of Maesanow where they needed assistance because of difficulties in bringing water to the village.

Between 2016 and 2017, with New Humanity staff, we visited the village and provided sunflower seeds to two young farmers; since then the village of Maesanow has contacted New Humanity for other needs as well.

In 2020, thanks to a grant from the PIME foundation, we were able to start three water projects, including one in Maesanow village that was completed and handed over to the community in May 2021. This project covered a total of 410 families. The project was conducted along with trainings related to the WASH project, in which we discussed the importance of water, proper use of water, personal hygiene and other health related topics. The training also addressed possible problems that might arise in the future and that the water management committee needs to be able to handle. Therefore, shared rules, responsibilities and duties in all houses were agreed. The project gave support to bring water from the spring to the village. The villagers realized that the responsibility of the water system in the land on which they live, from then on, would be theirs since they are the ones who inhabit that land and use the water.

Khin Myat Thun2

Activities and projects continued in the area and U Htut Oo, the village leader, was selected as an “example farmer” to demonstrate a different rice cultivation at high altitude. The project compared the Shew Aut type of rice with the one usually used in the village. This is a more sustainable and hardy variety of rice. We tried to teach good agricultural practices to the farmers through demonstration crops and agricultural trainings. In 2021, the Shwe Aut rice variety gave a better yield than the local variety. All participants were able to verify the higher yield through the cultivation demonstration, field visits and trainings conducted. And now other farmers in other villages would like to grow this rice variety on their lands and have begun making arrangements with Maesanow farmers independently, without the need for our intermediation. Agreeing with U Htut Oo, a farmer who grew Shwe Aut rice this year in the village nearby got 70 baskets of harvest from just one basket of grains.

I feel very happy and proud to hear that the new rice variety is being grown in other areas as well. Without the trust and active participation of the community, we could not have expanded the results of these projects from a few farmers to other groups of farmers and villages.”

We sincerely thank Khin Myat Tun for her passion and commitment that has been with us for so many years, and we thank all those who allow us to intervene in rural areas of Myanmar to help farmers and villages.

NAN SU, BEYOND HER PREJUDICES

NAN SU, BEYOND HER PREJUDICES

In this third chapter of STORIES FROM ANOTHER WORLD, we are going to tell you Nan Su’s story, a young girl who works in our local staff for the I C.A.R.E. programme in Kyaing Tong. Nan Su has a little disabled sister and before working with I C.A.R.E., they didn’t get along very well. Now, not only she has understood her sister’s value, but she also takes care of many children like her sibling.

Nan Su has been working in Kyaing Tong office from May 2022. She got to meet New Humanity International because her little sister took part in our project. Once we opened a job position, she immediately applied although it wasn’t very clear for her what the role was. 

She told us that she used to be ashemed of her sister when they were younger, they didn’t go out together and she used to keep her at home, so that none could see her. However, when the mother of a child beneficiary of our I C.A.R.E. project told her well about how we work, she immediately brought her little sister to our staff to participate in the programme.

She later learnt more about our organization and got interested in knowing more about disabilities. While she was working at NHI, she got the chance to develop a lot of skills, to take part in every activity and in several projects, especially in the I C.A.R.E. This way, she could help children with disabilities in the physioterapy and special education pathway.

Thanks to our collaboration with Don Gnocchi Foundation, Nan Su has been properly trained on her role and on the best ways to relate with beneficiaries: after that, she got included in our expert team.

She could also witness other NHI’s areas of intervention: food donations, awareness on disability, provision of aids and transport to hospital and clinic.

Now she can consider herself nearly an expert on disabily and prevention. She’s happy and enthusiastic to work with our staff as she could recognize the huge impact that our project has on beneficiaries’ lives and their families. She changed her mind on disability and she’s now more convinced than ever to change these little children’s lives and adult’s mentality as well.

Thank you Nan Su from the botton of our hearts, thanks to our staff in Kyaing Tong and to each one of you who costantly support us!

THAN TUN AUNG OVERCOMES ALL OF HIS FEARS

THAN TUN AUNG OVERCOMES ALL OF HIS FEARS

 

Here is the second chapter of our “STORIES OF THE OTHER WORLD”.

This week we talk about Than Tun Aung, a boy who wanted to continue studying, but was blocked by fear. Thanks to Dayamit College he managed to overcome his limitations and has now become one of the managers of a rehabilitation center.

Than Tun Aung is a 22-year-old boy who lives in Tada Chaung village in Dala, Yangon. He passed ninth grade and worked as an employee in a chemical store. He didn’t have much educational knowledge and was afraid to communicate with others.

Once Dayamit Community College opened, he became interested in the courses and attended the College for six months. Here he learned new things: he perfected his English, acquired basic IT and accounting skills, improved his psycho-social skills and his life skills. Not only he did improve his education but he had more opportunities to talk to others, gradually managing to overcome his inhibitions.

He then participated in an internship as a volunteer at FLOWERS, a physiotherapy centre. The skills learned at the College and the internship experience were two essential possibilities for making progress on a professional level. At the end of the semester, the Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation announced the opening of a Promoter position in the Rehabilitation project in the context of Community-Based Inclusive Development (SIBC) and he applied for the position.

During the interview and the trial period he was very nervous, but thanks to the knowledge gained from the Dayamit course and the interaction with his classmates, he managed to overcome this initial state of fear. At Dayamit he managed to improve his skills in the workplace and to interact better with colleagues thanks to the life skills and psycho-social skills acquired. As a result, within the SIBC project there have been clear improvements in the children and carers that Than personally looks after. He himself feels improved as a person: he is more generous, kind and patient. Thanks to the use of computer and accounting skills, he can work more efficiently than before and also manage the inventory of the rehabilitation center. He is very proud of himself and his dreams are coming true. He really felt that NHI is giving him great opportunities in all aspects of his life.

Congratulations to Than for his determination, and a special thanks to the staff of Dayamit Community College, which allows so many boys and girls to make their dreams come true!

UPDATES FROM KYAING TONG

UPDATES FROM KYAING TONG

2022 was a good year for our projects in Kyaing Tong, in the eastern part of Shan State: New Humanity continued its activities on rural development, training and disability support and the results are very encouraging for the future!

In the AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, farmers in the area have been provided with 90.000 local tea plants, 200 avocado trees, 600 macadamia plants and 200 wild apple trees: besides generating income and food, these crops are essential to combat soil erosion and promote reforestation. Two agricultural nurseries have been built in two villages in the area, with the aim of enabling farmers to closely follow the entire process of crop growth. It’s essential that the population is trained on which agricultural systems are best for the area, that’s the reason why courses on natural fertiliser production, seasonal and long-term crops, and plant pest control have not stopped. With a total of 17 training sessions, we reached out 588 people!

As we all know, besides from training, it’s very important to show concretely how to put into practice knowledge. For this reason, 3 study tours were organised over the course of the year, with a total of 76 farmers participating: it was very educational and inspiring for them to see how to manage efficient cultivation of tea, coffee, macadamia, wild apples, potatoes, beans and other vegetables. In addition, in some hilly areas in Kyaing Tong, farmers were shown how SALT (Sloping Agricoltural Land Technology) works. To combat deforestation, three farmers were involved in the planting of 900 acacia trees; New Humanity also purchased 1.000 senna plants for a local village.

The project’s rural development objective was also realised through the construction of water supply systems in 4 villages : tanks were installed to store clean water for the inhabitants, while an artesian well was dug in a women vocational school. In this way, almost 500 people now have constant access to clean water sources!

The New Humanity project also continued in the EDUCATIONAL SECTOR: 20 young women participated in a three-day intensive women empowerment course on the production of wine, jam and pickled fruit, learning the necessary theoretical and practical skills. Nutritional education, which is fundamental for all age groups, was not neglected either: during 7 meetings, topics such as the importance of a healthy and nutritious diet, the special attention that must be paid during pregnancy and during the first years of children’s lives, breastfeeding, the consumption of iodized salt, malnutrition and the prevention of related diseases were talked about. A total of 365 people participated. Another topic covered was the correct use of water from a hygienic point of view: during the session, 51 villagers from Pu Mao gained knowledge about diseases that can be transmitted through contaminated water, the use of flush toilets and hygienic practices for washing hands properly.

In the area of SOCIAL ASSISTANCE and the DISABILITY programme, support was certainly not lacking for the 50 children of a kindergarten in Kyang Tong where New Humanity built two toilets and constantly provides them with medicines and hygiene products. We also finance the purchase of food and sanitary products for the St. Mary’s disability centre, for the Naung Kan Leper Colony and for 54 children with disabilities in the area, who are also followed and accompanied during visits and assessments by medical specialists. Our programme also financially supported the costs of treatment to correct a ankle congenital defect of a disabled child, the 25-day hospitalisation of another child and the purchase of a wheelchair (1/3 of the cost was covered by the child’s family). In addition, the programme includes professionals who help children with disabilities to progressively acquire autonomy, motor skills and social independence: in addition to medical and rehabilitation visits, a day of aggregation was organised for the families of 30 disabled children, in order to create a close group and make the little patients happy!

New Humanity also built a new Community Based Rehabilitation centre, completed in September, where 2 meetings were held with 49 parents of disabled children to explain to them how the centre will function in the coming year. In terms of training, a 5-day course was organised for 3 nuns from the staff of the St. Mary’s disability centre to explain them how the Inclusive Development on a Community Base (SIBC) approach is structured, so that they can put it into practice in an optimal way.

All our work in the disability sector has seen a huge improvement over the past year thanks to the constant cooperation of the don Carlo Gnocchi foundation, which accompanies us step by step by training our staff.

Last but not least, the project supported a computer course for 6 local youths and provided medicine and salary for 9 teachers at the Wan Ning Monastic School.

We reached almost 2000 people – a great number! – but our goal is that the knowledge people have learnt will be shared with others, so that the educational and awareness-raising effect can reach more and more people.

With these excellent results and full of energy to continue bringing concrete hope, we take this opportunity to thank all our local and international staff and you. We will keep you updated on our progress in the coming months.

See you soon!

GENERAL MEETING OF NEW HUMANITY MYANMAR

GENERAL MEETING OF NEW HUMANITY MYANMAR

Last week in Yangon a general meeting was held for all the staff of New Humanity in Myanmar. 

An important meeting for all the staff, a training moment, a moment of sharing and a moment of identification of new strategies together. 

Taunggyi staff

The Meeting lasted since early morning to late evening for 3 days, full of sharing and trainings. 75 people attended and there were several intervention, held by Francesca Benigno from New Humanity’s headquarter in Milan, Teresa Sassu from Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation, Ma Thida Moe and Ma Voe Phair from New Humanity Myanmar and an external guest expert in project management: Daw Thet New.

ICARE group

Several topic have been faced: Vision and Mission of NHI, the importance of everybody in different phases of the project, experience of people working longtime for NHI, new policy for child protection, planning, monitoring and evaluation of projects, team building and reporting.

Teachers group

A reach meeting that allowed everyone to feel part of a bigger group with a common purpose, and to understand that everybody is important to reach our final goal: to promote education as a tool to fight every kind of poverty and exclusion.

Yangon group

Yangon staff

 

Thank to all the participants!

COMMUNITY BASED INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT (CBID)

COMMUNITY BASED INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT (CBID)

CBID is a development strategy which aims to ensure that people with disabilities are respected and included in their communities on an equal basis in all areas of life. It is people centred, community driven and human rights based.

CBID is an essential contribution to NHI’s vision and a key approach to realize the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and leave no one behind in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The CBID is the natural evolution of Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) approach, developed by WHO after the Alma-Ata declaration in 1978 with the purpose of: ameliorate the quality of life of people with disabilities and their families, meet their basic needs and ensure their inclusion and participation.

In all our projects related to disability we are trying to apply the same approach, all our CBR program are now developing into CBID programs.

WHAT IS COMMUNITY BASED INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT?

At the beginning it was a strategy aimed to strengthen access to rehabilitation services in limited resource contexts (as former CBR), CBID is now a multi-sectorial approach aimed to ameliorate equal opportunities and social inclusion of people with disabilities, fighting at the same time the perpetual cycle of poverty and disability,working with and through local groups and institutions.

The CBID is being implemented through the combined efforts of people with disabilities, their families and communities with health, educational, professional and social services, both private or public.

CBID addresses challenges experienced by people with disabilities, their families and communities in practical ways. For example, it offers opportunities to join community based self-help groups and livelihoods activities. In the current context and drive for localization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs), CBID is increasingly relevant. 

As the former CBR, also CBID programs can include health, education, livelihood, social and empowerment activities, working closely with local partners, local governments and disability association to bring change. CBID particularly promotes the participation and voice of people with disabilities in decision-making processes at the local level. In high risk areas, CBID programs include activities that address community preparedness and resilience for when natural and human-caused disasters strike. CBID enhances and strengthens earlier work described as CBR and encourages more inclusive, responsive and accountable communities. 

OUR STAFF                                                  

In this kind of approach a big role has been played by our partner, Don Carlo Gnocchi Foundation , which has multi-annual experience in this field in many countries. They are supporting us in disability’s field in Myanmar and they are training all our staff about this approach helping us in slowly upgrading all our projects following these principles. Such a precious collaboration!

Also in India we are following the same principles and we are training all our staff about this approach.

We deeply believe that building strong communities requires a focus on equal access to good quality services and on civic participation aimed at supporting people with disabilities, their families and organizations, to fully participate in the social, economic and political life of their communities.

Thus, CBID is an essential contribution to our Vision for a real New Humanity in which people with disabilities enjoy their human rights and achieve their full potential.