Myanmar's opening: A chance to help more

Malteser International: “Cooperation with state authorities continues to improve”

Dirk Niebel, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, visited Malteser International’s projects in the village of Sandar Yaw, near Myanmar’s former capital, Yangon.

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Cologne/Yangon. Myanmar, a country which has often been criticised for its political isolation in the past, is in the midst of a democratisation process which is opening up the country to more humanitarian relief, a move which has been met with optimism by Malteser International’s team on the ground. “There has been an improvement in the cooperation with state authorities, which has allowed us to reach more people in need of help”, says Birke Herzbruch, Malteser International’s country representative in Myanmar.

Malteser International has been active in the country formerly known as Burma for almost 11 years. Especially after Cyclone Nargis devastated the country in 2008, claiming more than 140,000 lives, the government has shown itself increasingly more open toward Malteser International’s offers of support.

“We are seeing the democratisation process taking place at the moment as something very positive”, says Sandra Harlass, senior desk officer for Myanmar at Malteser International. “We can see that the government is very much willing to cooperate with us, and that they want to bring more assistance to the communities. We recognise that that is a great opportunity for Myanmar to develop further – it is one of the countries which receive the least amount of international humanitarian aid, especially when compared to its neighbouring countries. This is a great chance for the country not only to receive more aid, but also to implement more aid.”

The organisation has a strong presence on the ground, with more than 300 local workers and ten international experts currently implementing projects which range from medical treatment against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria to providing access to sanitary facilities and clean water. A current focus of the work also lies on disaster risk reduction.

On 12 February, Dirk Niebel, Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, visited Malteser International’s projects in the village of Sandar Yaw, near Myanmar’s former capital, Yangon. “The project in Htan Tabin is an impressive example of how short-term measures, initially planned for emergency relief and recovery purposes, can also achieve long-term, sustainable and development-oriented results”, said the minister. “Since the village residents were at the forefront of the activities from the very beginning, they are now able to create and implement their own village development plans. We will continue to support the endeavour in Htan Tabin. The successful work must continue”.

Because of the current political opening of the country, Malteser International staff in Myanmar hopes that aid organisations will gain access to isolated border areas, such as in the country’s south-east, in the near future.