Updated: March 2009
Myanmar
Overview | World Vision's history in Myanmar | World Vision in Myanmar today
OverviewThe Union of Myanmar, the largest country in mainland Southeast Asia, is bordered by China to the northeast, Laos and Thailand to the east, and Bangladesh and India to the west. The Bay of Bengal lies to the southwest, touching nearly 1,200 miles of Myanmar’s coast. The climate is cooler in the mountainous north and east regions, where average temperatures reach 70 degrees. In the tropical monsoon region of the south and west, annual rainfall totals can amount to 200 inches. The humid coastal and delta regions have an annual average temperature of 90 degrees. Natural resources include petroleum, timber, tin, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, and hydropower.It is estimated that more than 130 ethnic groups inhabit Myanmar, the largest of which are the Burman, who make up two-thirds of the population. Other groups include the Shan, Karen, Rakhine, Chinese, Indian, and Mon. The country’s official language is Burmese, spoken by 65 percent of the people, though many ethnic groups speak their own dialects. English is a second language used primarily in government settings and in schools. The majority of people live in rural areas near the river valley, with only 31 percent living in urban locations. By the 1820s, the British East India Company spread to the whole of Burma, bringing the country under the rule of the English Empire. Sixty years later, Burma became a colony of India. Independence was granted in January 1948, and after 15 years of parliamentary government, local infighting and rebellions erupted in an effort to seize power. A military junta began ruling in the late 1980s, and in 1989 the rulers changed the name of the country to Myanmar and the name of the capital from Rangoon to Yangon. In November 2005, the ruling junta relocated the capital city further inland to a mountain compound called Pyinmana in Naypyidaw. On May 2, 2008, as many as 2 million people were affected when Cyclone Nargis slammed into the country, causing tens of thousands of deaths, destroying homes and livelihoods, and leaving behind severely damaged communications systems, power outages, and impassible roads strewn with debris and uprooted trees. |  |
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| In the 1930s and 1940s, Burma was one of the wealthiest nations in Southeast Asia. It exported more rice than any other country in the world and produced 75 percent of the world’s teak (a type of hardwood). After independence in 1948, a series of failed economic development plans caused growth to decline. Today, several factors are hindering economic improvement: the inflation rate is 24 percent; basic commodity prices have increased 200 percent in the past two years; the transportation infrastructure is in need of repair; and there is a large volume of timber, gems, narcotics, rice, and other products traded on the black market to neighboring countries. Many areas of Myanmar are currently considered to be in a food crisis. The country is a surplus producer of rice on a national basis, but of the 14 states and divisions, many are in a food deficit, requiring surplus regions to share with deficit areas. Because of poor infrastructure and high transportation costs, this share program is not often implemented, leading to food shortages and general increased vulnerability. Drought, floods, pest infestation, and limited agricultural inputs have also led to greater food insecurity. The HIV and AIDS epidemic is growing in Myanmar as the country holds the second-highest infection rate in Southeast Asia—more than 360,000 people are living with HIV and AIDS. The United Nations and international organizations are providing treatment, food, home-based care, education, and community support groups. Back to top World Vision's history in MyanmarWorld Vision’s initial involvement in Myanmar (then called Burma) occurred in 1958 when the national church extended an invitation to sponsor a pastors conference. A year later, World Vision partnered with the Salvation Army at the Pyu Children’s Home, located in central Burma between Rangoon and Mandalay, to help support 50 children. Child sponsorship officially launched in 1962, and in the first 15 years, more than 1,500 children were benefitting from sponsorship. In 1972, World Vision funds allowed the printing of 10,000 Kachin-language New Testament Bibles for distribution among the Burmese.The Kyat Rehabilitation Project began in 1976, providing 40 families in the Kachin State with a cart, rickshaw, or sewing machine to help them recover from flooding that inhibited income generating capabilities. Though slightly reducing its presence in Burma from 1978 to 1991, World Vision continued to work with two childcare projects during that time in partnership with the Salvation Army. In 1986, the Theological Research Center-Burma Christian Council enhanced Christian leadership through training and education materials, which are provided through a research library located in Rangoon. World Vision began increasing its efforts in Myanmar in August 1991. The Urban Integrated Health Project began two years later and was instituted to improve the health status of target communities, focusing on the needs of women and children, environmental sanitation, and community development. The Myanmar Disaster and Relief Preparedness Program of 1995 sought to educate and build capacity within target communities to respond quickly and appropriately to disasters. The Signs to Come Project in the 1990s addressed problems affecting hearing-impaired children and adults by providing health care, education, and skills training. The HIV and AIDS Prevention and Care Plan worked to reduce the transmission of HIV and AIDS in the towns of Kawthaung, Tachileik, and Tanintharyi. The project provided education as well as community-based care and support mechanisms for affected people and families. Programs in the 21st century have focused on improving the lives of children living on the street, educating children who are deaf, leadership education, helping vulnerable children, assisting with tsunami relief efforts, microenterprise development, and anti-trafficking efforts. Back to top World Vision in Myanmar todayWorld Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Myanmar to enhance their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their communities, families, and children. Currently, more than 40,000 children are registered in the World Vision sponsorship program. Several times this number of children and other family members benefit from World Vision activities. Of these registered children, many have World Vision sponsors in other countries. U.S. donors sponsor 8,650 girls and boys. In addition, World Vision operates 17 development programs, three of which are supported by U.S. donors. Highlights of these efforts include the following:
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