Highlights from Myanmar: 2018-19

2 min read
Myanmar
Image: WaterAid/Htoo Tay Zar

This year we commenced our five-year program with Water for Women, where our goal is to support safer births in the Ayeyarwady region.

Our work is targeted at five hospitals, where we will be improving water, sanitation and hygiene services, as well as infection prevention and control practices. Doing this will make the birth process safer for women and babies, a critical piece of work for Myanmar, where the maternal and neonatal mortality rates are high and many deaths are preventable.

Elsewhere in Myanmar, we’ve been helping upskill the country’s next generation of water leaders as part of the Myanmar Young Water Professional Program. We’ve been working with 14 young people through this program, giving them access to the skills and knowledge they need and supporting them with mentoring and leadership training.

We’ve also been delivering training to the Department of Rural Development, providing them with a more reliable way of collecting data on the quality of water, sanitation and hygiene services. We have piloted our approach with them across three states, and will soon help them scale this across the country.

 

Program information

Expenditure: AUD $327,000

List of funders
Australian Government’s Water For Women Program
The Australia Water Partnership (AWP)
WaterAid UK
Corporate, foundation and supporter contributions

Location of projects
Yangon
Ayeyarwady Region

Local partners
HIC – Hydro-Informatics Centre, National Water Resources Committee, Jhpiego, Soapbox

This article first appeared in WaterAid Australia's Annual Report 2018-19