Maung Russey Area Program

The Maung Russey community is home to almost 40,000 people, half of whom live in severe poverty. A recent survey found that over 30% of children in Maung Russey had stunted growth and almost 25% were underweight. A lack of access to health care, particularly for new and expecting mothers, affects the wellbeing of children and families in this community. The overall hygiene and sanitation conditions are also poor, further worsening the issues.

Most people depend on farming to make a living, however acute changes in temperature and rainfall have led to smaller harvests. This has meant less food for children and lower incomes for families. Difficulties producing good crops often forces adults and youth to travel to find work to support their families. In 2010, almost 5% of the area's population migrated to other cities, provinces, and even countries to seek employment.

Migration can have a strong negative impact on children. Many end up living with grandparents or relatives, lacking the motivation and parental support necessary for them to excel in school. Additionally, some children find themselves living in dangerous situations, which put their safety and ability to concentrate at risk. Due to these factors, many children drop out of school and do not pursue academic goals that could benefit them in the future.

Health
A primary concern in Maung Russey is the health and wellbeing of children and their families. A lack of information and low income prevent mothers from providing healthy and nutritious meals for their growing children, especially when harvests are bad and food is scarce. Many community members are unaware of available health treatments.

Some families live in isolated areas, far from a clinic or outreach programs. To make matters worse, health care workers need more training. Many centres lack basic facilities, such as waiting rooms and delivery rooms, as well as necessary medicines and supplies. Insufficient staffing at health care facilities results in long wait times. The system in general lacks the organization needed to improve the quality of current services.

Education
It is difficult for children to get a good education in Maung Russey. Many parents are forced to migrate to find work, leading children to drop out of school in order to help support their families. This instability can leave children vulnerable to bad influences and cause them to lose motivation to work hard in school. Others lack the means of safe transportation to and from school.

For those who can attend, poor organization and limited resources in schools negatively impact their learning. There are too few classrooms and teachers, which creates a problematic environment. Teachers struggle to find good aids and teaching materials, and are regularly absent.

School leaders do not monitor staff closely or provide regular training for teachers. The local school committees and councils are also dysfunctional and are often limited in the ways they manage, lead, and fundraise for schools. There are also too few resources to help students learn practical life skills that will be valuable as they grow older.

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Children and families in Maung Russey struggle to access clean water and sanitation. The community has limited sources of water and lacks knowledge of safe, hygienic practices, such as boiling water and the use of filtration systems. Information about hygiene practices like hand washing is not widely known, which leads to reoccurring illness. In schools, there are few washrooms and proper water sources for students, which can result in chronic waterborne illnesses, such as diarrhea.

Health
With the partnership of Canadian sponsors and the community, World Vision will work to:

• Increase community knowledge of maternal health care practices and services for new and expecting mothers.
• Share information on good nutrition and healthy feeding habits for children.
• Strengthen accessibility to quality health services, both at health centres and the community level.
• Build partnerships between health centres and key partners to improve offered services.

Education
To ensure children can access and benefit from quality education, World Vision will assist the community to:

• Improve opportunities for youth to learn and practice real-world life skills to help them become future leaders.
• Provide resources and training to teachers to improve the quality of education that students receive.
• Strengthen school leaders to better monitor and implement key education policies through local action. Strengthen existing student councils and school support committees to promote and support education initiatives.

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
In partnership with families and sponsors, World Vision will work with the community to:

• Ensure that children and their families have enough safe drinking water.
• Promote clean and hygienic homes, schools, and facilities for children and their families.
• Provide practical knowledge about good sanitation and hygiene to help children and families avoid contracting waterborne diseases.
• Increase the number of households that treat water with filtration practices and techniques to ensure its safety.