FROM THE COUNTRY DIRECTOR
Happy new year! We just passed 2020 as one of the most difficult year of the recent past centuries, which may continue for a few more months. However, we are very close to seeing the light of end of the tunnel as the COVID-19 vaccine has already arrived in Myanmar and we hope that within a year, most people will have received the vaccine. COVID-19 taught us with a heavy cost that high quality hygiene behaviour is very important for our life. Therefore, hygiene behavior change will be integral in leading a healthy life, even after we have received the COVID-19 vaccine.
I want to take this opportunity to convey our gratitude to all WaterAid supporters including the Myanmar Government, donors, our peers in the development sector and communities for being with us and for continuing to support our work during this difficult time. With the support from all of you, we could successfully engage with COVID-19 response work across Myanmar. In the last year we have reached all 14 states and regions with our awareness messages. We have distributed 17 thousand awareness posters, installed more than 400 handwashing stations in public places including 250 hospitals, schools, markets and bus stands, and have put up 100 billboards in Yangon. We also have supported setting up 39 COVID-19 quarantine centres jointly with the Yangon Regional Government and the Ministry of Health and Sports.
I also appreciate the courage and resilience of our team, who has continued working on COVID-19 response including visiting hospitals and quarantine centres where COVID-19 patients are treated. They have continued their work in communities to raise awareness about hygiene behaviour changes for “living with COVID”.
I am also grateful to our media partners and Myanmar celebrities for their great support in COVID-19 awareness campaigns. Our gratitude to our donors Prudential Myanmar and Lindex for their financial support in carrying out diversified COVID-19 response programmes. Many private sector organisations also came forward and joined us in reaching out regarding hygiene behaviour change. Among them, KBZ Bank and Pact Global Microfinance Fund (PGMF) together helped us reach 4 million people through their staff and business outlets. COVID-19 response program again taught us how good partnership across the sectors and government is important.
During October - December 2020, despite COVID-19 pandemic travel restriction in Myanmar, we could continue some of important WASH activities. This newsletter will take you through a visual presentation of that work. Thanks again for being with us.
With thanks,
Shihab
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COVID-19 PANDEMIC
WAMM’s response continues as the country
battles against COVID-19
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Collaborative response has been the backbone of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by WaterAid Myanmar. WAMM has been playing a complementary role in Government-led COVID-19 response. Together with the Ministry of Health and Sports, the Ministry of Education, Yangon Regional Government, Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC), General Administrative Department (GAD), and township COVID-19 Response Committees, WAMM has been supporting emergency response needs.
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MONTH-LONG CAMPAIGNS AND AWARENESS RAISING
A month-long COVID-19 campaign was conducted in 11 townships of Yangon City during October to November 2020 as the first phase, and in another 12 townships in Yangon as part of the second phase during December 2020. This campaign is a part of our COVID-19 response work supported by Prudential Myanmar Life Insurance, and will continue throughout January - February 2021 as well. The campaigns heighten awareness in communities regarding prevention and protection against coronavirus. 11 loudspeaker vehicles were mobilised and MOHS/ WHO information was shared in markets and other busy public places. In addition, 100 COVID-19 awareness billboards and 5,000 posters have been put up across 23 of Yangon’s townships with support from Prudential Myanmar.
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SUPPORTING SCHOOLS IN MYANMAR
Lindex, one of Europe's leading fashion brands, has been supporting COVID-19 response in Yangon Region. With support from Lindex, WAMM has recently installed an overhead tank and steel water storage tanks in Basic Education High School #14 and #8 to provide running water in the schools' toilets and handwashing stations. These facilities are not only intended for COVID-19 response, but also for long-term use by the students in their schools. WAMM is currently also in the process of constructing new toilets in schools in Yangon to support the needs of 15,000 students in Hlaing Thar Yar Township through the support provided by Lindex.
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WORKING WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR
Mobilising the private sector for effective COVID-19 response
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Over the past few months, WaterAid has organized a series of discussions with private sector leaders from banks, garment industries, hospitality industries and shopping malls/ retailers to influence and encourage them on expanding their effort towards sustainable hygiene behaviour changes among their staff and customers. Engagement included organising media dialogue, webinars for staff orientations, and joint awareness campaign using posters, and other IEC materials.
To sustain and widen the impact of hygiene behaviours changes, WAMM in collaboration with KBZ Bank and Pact Global Microfinance Fund oriented 20,000 staff from these two organisations. We envisage staff from these two organisations will also be able to cascade knowledge in their communities and bring it forth to their ~4 million clients.
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DEVELOPING CAPACITY OF MYANMAR'S CSOs
Capacity development programme aims to
meet SDG 6 goals
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To achieve SDG 6 goals through ensuring sustainable and equitable WASH to everyone everywhere, WaterAid Myanmar is aiming to support locally rooted organisations with adequate knowledge on addressing WASH needs in their communities. In the first phase, 20 organisations working in the country’s most remote and marginalized communities will be trained on addressing WASH needs, and small grants will be provided to CSOs that undertake innovative approaches so that they are better able to support communities meet their WASH needs. A call for applications was placed in December 2020, with the deadline closing on 05 January 2021. 112 organisations have applied for the training program, which is set to begin on 01 February 2021.
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IMPROVING WASH IN URBAN YANGON
WASH programmes in Yangon City mark progress despite the pandemic
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Healthy Choices; Safe water, improved sanitation and good hygiene for families of migrant garment workers; and Empowering women and improving livelihoods through social entrepreneurship of drinking water are three projects funded respectively by the Livelihoods and Food Security (LIFT) fund, Lindex and Diageo that are running in Shwe Pyi Thar and Hlaing Thar Yar townships in Yangon.
Despite challenges posed by the pandemic, WAMM and partner organisations have been able to collect data for the baseline survey across all 4 wards, provide clean WASH sessions to partner staff, hold consultation meetings with community leaders, conduct a full analysis of the current WASH situation, conduct technical WASH assessments in schools, and support COVID-19 response efforts in the communities.
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L: Consultation meeting with community leaders. R: Community kick-off meeting at Shwe Lin Ban village.
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COMMUNITY-LED INTEGRATED WASH
Large scale constructions support community-led efforts
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October, November and December have been jam-packed with activities for our Community-led Integrated WASH project funded by The Charitable Foundation. Two overhead tanks, one of 5,000-gallon capacity and the other of 3,700 gallons was constructed, alongside triggering sessions for Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) and hygiene behaviour change. Community mobilisation has continued despite the pandemic, and Global Handwashing Day (October 15) as well as World Toilet Day (November 19) were observed in the communities.
Above: Construction of a slow san
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SUPPORTING SAFER BIRTHS IN MYANMAR
Progressing towards nation-wide scale-up
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UNION MINISTER EXPRESSES APPRECIATION FOR TEACH-CLEAN MANUAL
WaterAid Myanmar (WAMM) regularly organizes a Project Steering Committee (PSC) meeting with officials from the Ministry and Health and Sports (MoHS), the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Medical Services (DMS) with the purpose of updating activities under the DFAT-funded Supporting Safer Births in Myanmar project to the central level. All entities discuss about the challenges and ways forward regarding the implementation of the project. During the pandemic, these quarterly PSC meetings have been taking place online. Our last PSC meeting was held on 08 December 2020, and was chaired by Dr. Htin Lin, the Deputy Director General (Public Health).
Healthcare waste management (HCWM), proper practicing of healthcare waste management (segregation, transport, and final disposal etc.), and the use of smokeless technology in HCWM and its alternatives (placenta pit, sharp pit and needle cutter) were some of the things that were discussed. Furthermore, WAMM received much appreciation from the Union Minister of the MoHS for our work on the TEACH-CLEAN manual, which was developed by WAMM together with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine on WASH and Infection Prevention and Control in healthcare facilities. The manual has been approved for publication, and the training package will be distributed across all hospitals under the MoHS throughout the country.
COORDINATING WITH THE AYEYARWADY REGIONAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT
A quarterly coordination meeting was conducted with the Ayeyarwady Regional Health Department as part of the Supporting Safer Births in Myanmar project, which is supported by DFAT’s Water for Women fund, and managed by the GHD. Deputy Director General Dr. Than Tun Aung delivered opening remarks and Township Medical Officers (TMOs) discussed their difficulties in WASH infrastructure, WASH and Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) support for isolation ward in hospitals, as well as for WASH and IPC related equipment for COVID-19 positive cases. The TEACH-CLEAN training was found to have been very effective, particularly during this COVID-19 period.
FIRST STEP TOWARDS INCLUSIVE AND USER-FRIENDLY WASH SERVICES IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES
WaterAid aims to ensure gender and social inclusion in across all of our programs and projects. As such, a meeting with the WASH and Gender Working Group was organized on 25 November 2020 to ensure a collaborative approach with rights-based organisations. The Participatory Technical Assessment Tool, developed to identify WASH infrastructure in healthcare facilities, was also presented during the meeting. 17 working group members from women’s rights, disabled rights and WASH organizations attended the meeting, which revolved around 6 components: Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, Healthcare waste management, environmental cleaning and user perspective questions. The tool is integral in thinking about accessibility and maintenance for sustainability of WASH facilities to adapt a universal design relevant to the local context.
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For Global Handwashing Day (15 October 2020), WAMM initiated a two-weeks long massive campaign to inspire the new generation, engage across sectors, expand hand hygiene work in rural areas, and mobilise the media to advocate the importance of handwashing.
Above: Doctor/ Singer Phyu Phyu Kyaw Thein demonstrates good hand hygeine practices.
We worked with young Myanmar celebrities, organised a photo competition, and brought intellectuals on board to spread the word about hand hygiene. A full report of our GHW 2020 campaign can be found here.
Above: A submission for the 'Handwashing With A Smile' photo contest. |
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A message from the Australian Ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, H.E. Ms. Andrea Faulkner, on Global Handwashing Day.
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RELATED:
Video messages from popular Myanmar celebrities and social media influencers - women & youth empowerment advocate Dr. Phyo Thiha, singers Ah Moon, Phyo Pyae Sone, Po Po Hay Thar, and actor Sai Si Tom Kham.
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Millions of people across the world still do not have access to a decent toilet. In order to mark World Toilet Day (November 19), WAMM staff shared information about the importance of decent toilets online, and conducted some socially-distanced activities on the ground.
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ONE YEAR OF MEDIA FELLOWSHIP
WAMM Expands Trainings to Ethnic Media Houses
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WAMM’s Media Fellowship programme successfully finished its one-year mark. We have trained more than 20 journalists and editors, supporting them to expand coverage of WASH issues around Myanmar. As a result of these trainings, a large number of reports about WASH issues have been published or been broadcasted on different media platforms in Myanmar. This is a significant change and WAMM believes that this increased coverage has had a positive influence on policy makers. At the same time, WAMM has also expanded the scope of the programme and invited three media organisations, based in Kachin, Kayah and Chin States, where WASH issues are most prevalent, to participate in a new batch of training in 2021.If you are interested to read more, all reports produced by media fellows under this programme have been shared on WAMM’s social media page.
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WATERAID MYANMAR
ON THE SCREEN
A selection of WaterAid's activities
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