SIRP Fourpager
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Midwife Aye Aye Nwe greets one of her young patients at the newly constructed Rural Health Centre in Kyay Thar Inn village (Tanintharyi Region). PHOTO: S. MARR, BANYANEER More engaged, better connected In brief: results of the Southeast Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project (SIRP), Myanmar I first came to this village”, says Aye Aye Nwe, Following Myanmar’s reform process and ceasefires with local “When “things were so different.” Then 34 years old, the armed groups, the opportunity arose to finally improve conditions midwife first came to Kyay Thar Inn village in 2014. - advancing health, education, infrastructure, basic services. “It was my first post. When I arrived, there was no clinic. The The task was huge, and remains considerable today despite village administrators had built a house for me - but it was not a the progress that has been achieved over recent years. clinic! Back then, villagers had no full coverage of vaccinations and healthcare - neither for prevention nor treatment.” The project The Southeast Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project (SIRP) was The nearest rural health centre was eleven kilometres away - a designed to support this process. Starting in late 2012, a long walk over roads that are muddy in the wet season and dusty consortium of Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), the Swiss in the dry. Unsurprisingly, says Nwe, “the health knowledge of Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Karen villagers was quite poor. They did not know that immunisations Development Network (KDN)* and Action Aid Myanmar (AAM) are a must. Women did not get antenatal care or assistance of sought to enhance lives and living conditions in 89 remote midwives during delivery.” villages across Myanmar’s southeast. About 500 kilometres south-east of Yangon, Kyay Thar Inn village Funded by the European Commission under its ‘Aid to Uprooted lies in Dawei district of Tanintharyi Region. Green paddy fields, People’ programme as well as NRC and SDC, the EUR 7.0 million gentle hills on the horizon. Less visible: the lasting legacy of a project focussed on Tanintharyi Region as well as Mon and Kayin long conflict. Over more than six decades, armed groups and States further north (see map overleaf). SIRP included a general Myanmar’s military had fought each other. The collateral damage: frame of objectives (related to rights & citizenship, health, villages like Kyay Thar Inn remained impoverished, disconnected. education, water & sanitation, and infrastructure). At the same * KDN was formerly known as Knowledge and Dedication for Nation Building 2 More engaged, better connected | Evaluation summary: Southeast Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project (SIRP), Myanmar Project fellows Map: SIRP areas Part of the community-based process were so-called ‘fellows’ - CHINA KAYIN STATE [Pop.: 1.57 million] villagers who were selected to mobilise the wider communities, INDIA Local implementation: NRC* facilitate development, and coordinate with SIRP partners and SIRP coverage: 30 villages in three townships: stakeholders. Once nominated by communities, they underwent • Kawkareik (Kawkareik district) extensive training to complete their multi-faceted tasks. • Kyanseikyi (Kawkareik district) MYANMAR • Thandaunggyi (Hpa An district) KAWKAREIK DISTRICT Enlargement Naw Shwe Thet Wah Oo (33) is one of these fellows. “At first, it Kayin THATON MYAWADI was so difficult to organise people”, says the fellow from Wet DISTRICT State DISTRICT THAI- Swei Phyu in Mon State. “After the sounds of guns had stopped, LAND Mon we did not know about other organisations, about development. State And we were afraid of having to pay unofficial taxes.” Wah Oo had to convince people - through home visits and lots of explaining. HPA AN DISTRICT Over time, she grew more confident and also liaised with MAWLAMYINE DISTRICT representatives of the Karen National Union (KNU, one of the * In all three areas, technical non-state actors), who accepted and endorsed the project. support was provided by MON STATE [Pop.: 2.05 million] Action Aid Myanmar (AAM). Local implementation: SDC* Project results SIRP coverage: 29 villages DAWEI in four townships: DISTRICT Upon completion of SIRP in mid-2017, independent consultants • Bilin (Thaton district) were asked to evaluate the project. Based on visits to 19 of the • Mudon (Mawlamyine) • Ye (Mawlamyine) 89 villages, staff reflection workshops and a wide range of • Thanbyuzayat (Mawlamyine) interviews and tools, the evaluation commended the overall Tanintharyi approach for its participatory nature, sound targeting of remote Region and conflict-affected areas, and its largely sustainable outcomes. TANINTHAYRI REGION [Pop.: 1.41 million] MYEIK DISTRICT Local implementation: KDN* SIRP investments made a positive difference to people’s lives: the SIRP coverage: 30 villages trend analysis shows overall improvements (see summary chart in three townships: • Dawei (Dawei district) below). Along with the efforts of government agencies and others, • Thayetchaung (Dawei) SIRP was seen as a contributing factor behind this positive • Palaw (Myeik district) KAWTHAUNG development - including both process dimensions (social DISTRICT GULF OF cohesion, connectedness, women’s empowerment) and THAILAND dimensions related to outcomes (e.g. education, health, water). BAY OF BENGAL Take water. In Naw Shwe Thet Wah Oo’s village, there had previously been only six wells for 140 households, and none at the upland part of the village. “During summer time, villagers had to go for water collection, around three o’clock in the morning time, communities were guided to assess and prioritise their and queue up for their turn”, she says. There was not enough needs. Based on so-called ‘Village Books’, SIRP then supported water - in summer, wells would quickly run dry. what they needed most - be it a clinic, school, road, or water system. Since the SIRP-supported set-up of a water gravity system, there has been enough water for the whole village, and throughout the whole year. The village’s water group established rules to save More engaged, more united water, and collects MMK 5,000 (USD 3.60) per month from each Through the Village Book process, people got more engaged in household, enabling the group to maintain the system and give community development. “In previous13 Myanmar: days”, Evaluationsays farmer of theDaw Southeast Infrastructureloans through Rehabilitation a revolving Project fund.(SIRP) Thein Tin (52) from Za Le village (Kayin State), “we attended meetings just to show up. But most were not involved in Concerning education, the many new or upgraded schools discussions or any decisions. Now we can talk a lot and get provide better learning environments - as several sources suggest, involved properly.” Saw Wai Wai (51) from Taw Ta La village students now stay at school longer to learn and play. Networking (Tanintharyi) agrees and adds: “I seeFigure that 4a the | Trend villagers analysis have overall results and gender disaggregation become more united because of theWhat project. these charts They showwere not like Summary: overall trend Combined As1. part Livelihoods of the SIRP evaluation, Combined that before.” The charts on this page illustrate the results of Male communities were asked to rate Male Female Female trend analysis exercises that were conducted 2 aspects2 of their living conditions Very good Very good Community engagement went beyondin the planning: sampled villages in many supported villages, by the SIRP for each year from 2013 (on a 1 scale1 from very bad (1) to very project. In each village, two groups (male/ Good Good groups were formed to actually construct new infrastructure. good (5)). The chart shows the female) were asked to rate aspects of their +1.32 +1.13 Furthermore, villages have formed committees to maintain these 0 aggregate0 trend, indicating that living conditions for the years 2013-2017 on Difference between 2013 and 2017 scores perceived overall conditions have new assets. Equipped with skills anda scale resources, from -2 (very most bad) committees to +2 (very good). -1 improved.-1 are confident that they will be able to fix broken water pipes or Bad Bad -2 -2 leaking roofs. Several communitiesThe already grey lines went show further the average - figures, with Very bad To Verya considerable bad extent, these trends were attributed to SIRP completing some other priority actionsthe dotted in their red (women) Village andBooks blue that (men) lines -3 -3 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 (with2013 other factors2014 at play).2015 2016 2017 were not directly funded by SIRP. showing gender-based trends. 2. Infrastructure Combined 3. Education Combined 4. Health Combined Male Male Male Female Female Female 2 2 2 Very good Very good Very good 1 1 1 Good Good 0 0 0 +1.56 Normal Normal +2.12 +2.03 -1 -1 -1 Bad Bad -2 -2 -2 Very bad Very bad Very bad -3 -3 -3 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 5. Water Combined 6. Sanitation & hygiene Combined 7. Rights & citizenship Combined Male Male Male Female Female Female 2 2 2 Very good Very good Very good 1 1 1 Good Good Good 0 0 0 +1.04 +1.50 +1.71 -1 -1 -1 Bad Bad Bad -2 -2 -2 Very bad Very bad Very bad -3 -3 -3 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 8. Social cohesion Combined 9. Connectedness Combined 10. Women’s empowerment Combined Male Male Male Female Female Female 2 2 2 Very good Very good Very good 1 1 1 Good Good Good +0.95 +0.91 0 0 +1.44 0 -1 -1 -1 Bad Bad Bad -2 -2 -2 Very bad Very bad Very bad -3 -3 -3 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 “In the past, we could only participate in the meetings. Now we can present our requirements and plans to the authorities with the village book created and guided by SDC.” Wei Pa Thea Village, Mon, Men’s group, trend analysis Women’s participation and decision-making showed a slight increase in the trend analysis.