Spotlight on Ayeyarwaddy
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Welcome back to the British Embassy’s “Spotlight On...” series. This month, we would like to share some of the work we are doing in Ayeyarwaddy Region. This is by no means a full account of all the work we are doing there, but gives you a chance to see what breadth of work we are doing in this region, which is regarded as the rice bowl of the country. As part of our regular senior-level regional engagement, British Ambassador to Burma H.E Andrew Patrick and Head of Department for International Development (DFID) Burma Gavin McGillivray paid a visit to an early childhood care and development centre in Hle Kyaw Gon Village and a microfinance project in Kyoe Kyar Chaung Village in the Delta region. English for Education College Trainers Project in Ayeyarwaddy Division Supporting the development of the education sector remains a high priority for the UK’s work in Burma. As part of this commitment, the English for Education College Trainers (EfECT) Project was launched in September 2014 and aims to increase the English language proficiency and teacher training methodology of all state teacher trainers (Teacher- Educators) in Burma’s 21 Education colleges and 2 Institutes of Education. The project will be delivered through a partnership with Voluntary Services Overseas (VSO) who will provide 25 of the 50 trainers. The focus in the first year is on extending Teacher- Educators' English proficiency – with special attention given to interactive techniques and communicative methods that we hope will support TEs in the second year when the emphasis shifts to methodology training across all subjects. The British Council and the Department for International Development (DFID) funded project is active in three colleges in the Ayeyarwaddy region. Bogalay is situated in the middle of green rice fields about 60 miles south west of the capital Rangoon, deep in the delta area, amidst flowing rivers and estuaries. Pathein is the fourth largest city in Burma and is situated about 120 miles west of Rangoon. The beaches of Chaugtha and Ngwesaung lie about one and a half hours further west. One hour south of Pathein lies the small town of MyaungMya - the district capital. MyaungMya is a real watery delta town, situated on a river with rivers cutting through it and permeated with a sense of river life. Each college is home to two EfECT trainers who come from as far afield as Canada, the Philippines, Australia and Ireland. Thus far, they have weathered torrential monsoon rains, erratic power supplies, snakes and scorpions to deliver daily training to college staff, most of whom will have never have met a foreigner before, let alone have lived together with one on the same campus. Despite the often isolated nature of the locations and big differences of language and culture, EfECT trainers all talk about the appreciative nature of their students and the never ending kindness they have been shown. "How will I ever be able to teach in another country when comparing them to the students I have now" (Corinne Talon, Pathein EC). Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund The Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT) is a multi-donor fund established in 2009 to improve the lives and prospects of poor and vulnerable people in rural Burma. As of December 2014, the UK’s contribution was 49% of the total LIFT fund. The donors have contracted UNOPS as the Fund Manager to administer the funds and provide efficient and transparent monitoring and oversight for LIFT. LIFT projects operate in four main regions of Burma, including the Ayeyarwady Delta © LIFT/ Mie Maung Photography 2014. Casual workers practice hand transplanting, a method taught at LIFT funded Farmer Field Schools, which provides improved yields. So far, over 2.5 million people across the country - or roughly 5 % of Burma's population - have benefitted from LIFT support. In addition: • More than 290,000 beneficiary households reported that they had increased their food security by more than one month, • Nearly 60,000 households reported higher incomes as a result of LIFT support and, • Nearly 185,000 households have had access to affordable credit. Between 2009-2014, LIFT funded a total of 32 projects in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta. Currently there are 5 projects operating in the Delta. Nine projects were completed over the last 3- 4 months. These projects work to increase rice production and profitability throughout the rice value chains with complementary activities to improve farmer organisation, access to financial services, fisheries, natural resource management, and small-scale infrastructure. LIFT’s Delta activities also provide labour opportunities for landless families, including home gardening, small livestock husbandry and support for fishing activities and aquaculture. Daw Thein Swe leads her community’s social protection group near Bogale, allocating unconditional social transfers to members in need, for example, to pay for maternity costs. LIFT funded the start-up costs for the project, implemented by the Thadar Consortium. © LIFT/ Jacquetta Hayes 2015 The UK’s commitment to these efforts will continue into the future. In February 2015, LIFT Delta 3, a US$30 million programme, was announced. Reflecting LIFT's new strategy and also based on the lessons learnt, the new Delta 3 programme will consist of four components: 1. Strengthening the smallholder farmer position in the rice value chain ('stepping up') 2. Improving access to new economic opportunities: off-farm income generation, vocational training and support for migration ('stepping out') 3. Addressing vulnerabilities: social protection measures, improved nutrition, and reduced indebtedness ('hanging in') 4. Providing support to pro-poor policies and stakeholder coordination. For more information, please visit: http://www.lift-fund.org/ www.facebook.com/liftfund © LIFT/Jacquetta Hayes 2015 The sustainable business of flower growing provides a stable income to the villagers of Nyo Chong village near Bogale, as part of LIFT funded project implemented by the Myanmar Baptist Church Union (MBCU) Pyoe Pin Project The Ayeyarwaddy Region is focusing closely on freshwater fisheries governance issues – with support from the UK-funded Pyoe Pin Programme. In February 2014, the Ayeyarwaddy Regional Minister for fisheries, livestock and agriculture and the deputy speaker of Ayeyarwaddy region joined a fisheries governance exposure trip to Thailand and Cambodia as part of the Rakhine Freshwater Fisheries Law drafting process and also attended the Law launch ceremony in Sittwe, Rakhine State in November 2014. Through these and future collaborative activities between Rakhine State and Ayeyarwaddy Region, it is hoped that agreement can be reached on ways to involve communities more in freshwater fisheries management, as has now been stipulated under Law in Rakhine State. We hope that this information has given you a chance to explore the variety of work that the British Embassy is doing in Ayeyarwaddy Region. We look forward to giving you a glimpse into our work in another part of this wonderful country next time. In the meanwhile, we welcome your comments below. .