Since 2010, after fifty years of military dictatorship and a rigid economic and political isolation, Myanmar has started a process of democratization and political and economic reforms, accompanied by a policy of international openness.
This project aims to improve food-security and promote rural development and a sustainable management of the community forests in southern Rakhine. Our participation in this project is part of an extended and three-year long project of the Oikos Institute, which has a leading role, ASIA is a partner. This project was financed by Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2015. ASIA is in charge only of the educational component, lasting one year, while the coordination and all the others activities will be carried out by the Oikos Institute.
An education campaign aimed at adults, teachers and students had taken place in 29 villages (around 200.000 inhabitants). The following topics covered: biodiversity, climate change and resilience, waste and hygiene management, school gardens and sustainable agriculture. We give out: 800 handouts for the teachers, 7500 comics for primary and secondary school students, 600 posters to hang in the schools and the administrative headquarters of the villages.
We made environmental and hygiene improvements in 64 schools through the seeding and revaluation of school gardens, 10 systems of rainwater harvesting and 10 waste management systems for the schools. In addition, the students produced short videos to preserve all the information in an “archive of ecological and traditional memoirs”.