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7/30/2019 UNICEF unicef

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CHANGE BEGINS WITH CHILDREN

An old proverb in Myanmar says that, Children are our most

precious treasure. UNICEF in Myanmar embraces this ethosin its work, striving to further the rights of the nations children

and youth to survival, development, protection and participation.

Myanmar is a land of enormous potential, with resilient, resourceful

people who want to improve their lives and the lives of their children.

UNICEF works with families, communities and other care providers to

help give children the best possible start in life through programs that

immunize children from disease, enhance their nutrition, protect them

from HIV/AIDS, provide them with a better quality basic education andsafe drinking water, and protect them from abuse, exploitation and

violence. Today UNICEF and its partners are making progress in helping

more of Myanmars children live, grow, develop and attain their dreams.

Despite this progress, many children in Myanmar still

face poverty, disease, malnutrition, the threat of

HIV/AIDS, a lack of access to clean drinking

water and low primary school completion

rates, all of which impede their opportunities

for growth and development.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child,

which Myanmar ratified in 1991, provides that

the best interests of children should be

considered in all actions potentially affecting

their lives. With the best interests of Myanmars

children at the forefront of its endeavors, UNICEFwill continue working with its partners in

Myanmar to improve the lives of the countrys

women, children and youth.


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MYANMAR: A COUNTRY OF CONTRASTS

Myanmar is one of Southeast Asias largest nations, with a

population of more than 52 million people. With 135different ethnic groups calling Myanmar home, it is also one

of the worlds most diverse countries, with a rich history and panoply

of cultural and religious traditions.

Myanmar is a geographically diverse country, boasting fertile tropical

deltas in the south and a rugged landscape in the Himalayan foothills

of the north. The country is situated along the Bay of Bengal, and

shares borders with Bangladesh, China, India, the Lao PDR and

Thailand.

Approximately 70% of Myanmars people live in the countryside, and

most rural families make their living from farming. While the country is

rich in natural resources, the per capita gross national income has been

estimated to be only US$ 220 a year.

Long-standing conflicts have exacerbated the challenges that many

families face. Public sector investments and expenditures in most

program areas in which UNICEF works, such as education and health,

are extremely low. Myanmar also has one of the lowest per capita

overseas development assistance (ODA) rates in Southeast Asia.

Current internal and international investment levels are not sufficient to

provide all of the nations children with an education, healthcare and

other basic social services.

Because of its size and diversity, there are disparities between children

living in different areas of Myanmar in terms of access to basic healthservices, clean water and adequate sanitation facilities, malnutrition

rates, primary school enrollment and completion rates, and protective

services. UNICEF works with many partners to address these disparities

and to try to provide basic services to all of the countrys children.


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UNICEFS COMMITMENT TO MYANMARSCHILDREN

UNICEF has been working in Myanmar continuously since1950. Despite difficult political and economic circumstances,UNICEF helped to successfully initiate programs to protectchildren against smallpox, leprosy and yaws. Over time, UNICEF

expanded its programs to support the development of rural health

services, basic education for children, and community water supply

and sanitation systems. More recently, UNICEF has supported HIV/

AIDS prevention, early childhood development, and child protection

programs. UNICEF also advocated for Myanmars accession to the

Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention on the

Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which the

government ratified in the 1990s.

Today UNICEF supports some programs (such as immunization)

throughout the country, while it supports other programs (such as

malaria and HIV/AIDS prevention) primarily in high-risk areas of

Myanmar. Wherever it can, UNICEF supports an integrated package of health, education, water supply and sanitation interventions as it

now does in 61 of Myanmars most vulnerable townships. UNICEF has

field officers positioned throughout the country to enhance

implementation and ensure that the assistance it provides reaches

those children and women for whom it is intended.

The overriding goal of UNICEFs current program in Myanmar is to

protect and further childrens rights to survival, development, protection

and participation. Recognizing that the wellbeing of children is closelylinked to the health and wellbeing of their mothers, UNICEF also works

to help women in Myanmar realize these fundamental rights.


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CHILDREN IN MYANMAR

Today in Myanmar, some inroads are being made in

advancing childrens rights and improving the provisionof basic social services for children. Nevertheless,

disparities remain pronounced throughout the country, with

children and women in remote areas often being particularly

underserved.

While progress has been made in improving childrens health

through child immunization and nutrition initiatives, Myanmar

continues to have high infant and under-five mortality rates,

with 50% of all child deaths attributable to preventable causes.

One in three children under five years of age are still

malnourished, and youth are particularly vulnerable to HIV/

AIDS.

Although water and sanitation coverage has substantially

increased in recent years, many households still lack access to

safe water and sanitary facilities, and water-born diseases

remain a major killer of children under five years of age

throughout the country. Parasite infections resulting from

impure water are exacerbating child and infant malnutrition,

and poor sanitary conditions are providing breeding grounds for

disease.

Today, primary school enrollment rates are high and more

schools are being constructed. However, less than half of all

children in Myanmar currently complete primary school. Many

school expenses must be borne by students families,presenting an insurmountable financial obstacle for many

impoverished households. Classroom facilities are often poor

and under-equipped, and attrition rates among teachers are

high due to low pay, poor working conditions and long

separations from their families.


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In recent years there has been a growing recognition of the importance of child

protection initiatives. Nevertheless, high primary school dropout rates and widespread

poverty have had the effect of rendering large numbers of Myanmars children and

youth vulnerable to various forms of exploitation. Many children are employed in

factories, teashops and other business enterprises where they work long hours underarduous conditions, for very little pay. Other children take to the streets to beg, some

run afoul of the law, and others are conscripted despite national laws prohibiting this

practice. Many of these children are vulnerable to trafficking, and many trafficked

children and women are forced to work in the commercial sex industry.

Despite these challenges, there is reason for hope. UNICEF in Myanmar is working with

its partners to help children and their families surmount the problems that they face,

and more fully realize their rights to health, education, equality and protection.


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HOW UNICEF MAKES A DIFFERENCE

While numerous impediments still stand in the way of

Myanmars children fully realizing their rights, progress is

being made in certain areas:

lllll UNICEF and its partners have successfully protected children

from many deadly diseases, improved their access to

healthcare and essential drugs, and enhanced their mental

and physical development through UNICEFs Health and

Nutrition program.


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lllll UNICEF and its partners have empowered more

youth, mothers and members of vulnerable groups to

protect themselves against HIV/AIDS, and have

ensured that more people infected with and affected

by HIV/AIDS are given the care and support they

need through its HIV/AIDS program.

lllll UNICEF and its partners have helped more children

attend daycare and preschool, helped improve the

quality of care being provided to these children,

helped more primary school children receive a quality

education, and helped ensure that children are being

taught fundamental life skills in the classroom

through its Education program.

lllll UNICEF and its partners have increased childrens

access to safe drinking water and sanitary facilities,

and have ensured that more children in

disadvantaged areas are being taught safe hygiene

habits through its Water and Environmental

Sanitation and Hygiene program.

lllll UNICEF and its partners have also helped protect

women and children from trafficking, exploitation and

abuse and have helped improve national laws

protecting children through its Child Protection

program.

Today, UNICEF works with its partners in Myanmar to help

women, children and youth survive, develop and thrive by:

lllll Helping them stay healthy and well-nourished;

lllll Protecting them from HIV/AIDS;lllll Providing children with a quality basic primary

education;

lllll Expanding access to clean drinking water and

adequate sanitation facilities; and

lllll Protecting children from exploitation and abuse.


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HELPING CHILDREN STAY HEALTHYAND WELL-NOURISHED

I f children are not healthy and well-nourished, they cannotrealize many of their basic rights. One way UNICEF works tokeep Myanmar children healthy is by immunizing childrenagainst deadly childhood diseases by:

lllll Providing approximately 90% of the vaccines used to

inoculate children in Myanmar against the six major

vaccine-preventable diseases (tuberculosis, diphtheria,

whooping cough, tetanus, polio and measles);lllll Supporting routine immunization campaigns and

expanding immunization coverage in hard-to-reach

areas;

lllll Providing equipment to ensure that vaccines retain their

potency; and

lllll Introducing Hepatitis B vaccines in routine immunization

programs (to prevent liver disease).

UNICEF also keeps women and children healthy by improving the

quality and availability of health services . UNICEF does this

by:

lllll Training rural health center staff in the integrated

management of maternal and childhood illnesses;

lllll Increasing access to essential drugs;

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Ensuring the availability of standard and emergencyobstetric care facilities in township hospitals; and

lllll Reducing the prevalence of malaria through the

provision of bed nets and diagnostic equipment, and by

supporting public awareness and treatment activities.


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UNICEF strives to reduce child and maternal malnutrition by:

lllll Increasing mothers awareness of the benefits of exclusive

breastfeeding for their children during the first six months of life;

lllll Supplying the majority of vitamin A capsules to children

nationwide to prevent blindness and strengthen childrens

immune systems;

lllll Supplying 50% of all potassium iodate nationwide to support

salt iodization, which prevents iodine deficiency disorders and

mental retardation; and

lllll Providing iron supplements to pregnant and lactating womento prevent anemia.


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PROTECTING CHILDREN AND WOMENFROM HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS is spreading at an alarming rate in Myanmar. The

disease has now spread to the general population, with more

mothers and children becoming infected with the virus. Only a

small proportion of those infected with HIV/AIDS are aware of this fact,

due in part to a lack of voluntary, confidential testing and counseling

services.

UNICEF works to prevent women, children and youth from contracting

HIV/AIDS and supports persons infected with, and affected by, HIV/AIDS by:

lllll Working with partners to strengthen the national policy

response to the epidemic;

lllll Increasing adolescents access to information about HIV/AIDS

and other sexually transmitted diseases;

lllll Providing children and youth both in and out of school with

life skills training to help them develop the knowledge andabilities they need to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS;

lllll Preventing the mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS by

encouraging voluntary testing and counseling for pregnant

women;

lllll Improving the capacity of health staff to treat people infected

with HIV/AIDS;

lllll Providing home-based care and support services for peopleinfected with or affected by HIV/AIDS; and

lllll Targeting particularly vulnerable groups such as migrant

families, ethnic groups and the poor with a full range of

prevention and support services.


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PROVIDING CHILDREN WITH A QUALITYBASIC EDUCATION

Education is a key factor in providing Myanmars childrenwith opportunities for growth, development and advance-

ment. Since the learning and development process begins

the day a child is born, UNICEF works to help families and

caregivers meet the psychosocial, intellectual and physical needs

of infants and children up to five years of age. To these ends,

UNICEF strives to foster early childhood development by:


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lllll Providing a range of support to preschools and

daycare centers;lllll Training parents, caregivers and teachers in early

childhood development and child-centered play method-ologies; and

lllll Providing learning materials, toys and other basic

support to community-based play and child development

programs.

Another way UNICEF helps provide children with a quality

basic education is through its support of child- friendly

schools . UNICEF encourages more children to attend school

and works to improve the quality of education in primary

schools in some of the nations most disadvantaged town-

ships by:

lllll Training teachers in participatory, child-centered teach-

ing and learning methods;lllll Providing basic school supplies for children to defray

educational costs;lllll Equipping schools with safe drinking water facilities and

latrines;lllll Training Parent-Teacher Association members on how to

become more involved in their childrens education; andlllll Providing roofing sheets for schools in traditionally

disadvantaged communities.

UNICEF also helps children and youth acquire essential

life skills such as critical thinking, decision making and

problem solving by:

lllll Supporting life skills courses in teacher training colleges

throughout the country;lllll Training teachers in participatory, student-centered

teaching and learning methods; andlllll Fostering the active participation of students, teachers,

parents and community members in life skills activities.


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ENSURING ACCESS TO CLEAN WATER ANDSANITATION FACILITIES

C hildren who are deprived of clean drinking water and a sanitaryenvironment face very real threats to their health and survival.To better ensure childrens right to survive and thrive, UNICEF inMyanmar works to ensure access to clean and safe water by:

lllll Installing safe drinking water supply systems in schools, health

centers and communities; and

lllll Ensuring better water quality by testing for arsenic and other

contaminants in groundwater and introducing mitigationactivities as needed.


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UNICEF ensures access to adequate sanitation facilities

by:

lllll Providing support for the construction of

sanitary latrines in schools and communities;

and

lllll Encouraging national and community support of

latrine construction through its support of

National Sanitation Weeks.

In addition to these activities, UNICEF also promotes

hygiene education by:

lllll Supporting the teaching of personal hygiene in

schools through the provision of activity-based

teaching manuals, learning/game materials and

demonstration models; and

lllll Supporting National Sanitation Weeks, which

involve the promotion of hand washing and other

basic hygienic measures in the national media

and in communities.


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PROTECTING CHILDREN AND WOMENFROM EXPLOITATION

Today in Myanmar there is an evolving recognition thatadditional measures are needed to better ensure thatorphaned, institutionalized and homeless children are properlycared for and protected from harm, to better protect children and

women from trafficking and various forms of exploitation, and to

better address the needs of displaced children and their families.

UNICEF works to protect children and women from exploitation,

abuse and neglect by:

lllll Raising awareness among community members and

community-based organizations about means of preventing

abuse, exploitation, trafficking and neglect;

lllll Providing education, vocational training and recreation

activities for vulnerable children and youth, including street

children and working children;

lllll Providing technical assistance to further improve the juvenile justice system and protect children in conflict with

the law pursuant to the Convention on the Rights of the

Child and other international standards;

lllll Strengthening communities and institutional caregivers

capacity to assist children deprived of parental care; and

lllll Working with partners and communities to facilitate the

return, protection and reintegration of displaced, traffickedand exploited children and women.


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OUR PARTNERS

UNICEF works with a full range of partners in Myanmar, and

it is UNICEFs partners that play the vital role of actually

implementing its program activities in communities

throughout the country. Working together, UNICEF and its

partners strive to help Myanmars children realize their

fundamental rights. UNICEFs partners include:

lllll National technical departments, including health

professionals, nutritionists, educators, water and

sanitation experts and social workers;

lllll Local non-governmental organizations, including faith-

based organizations;

lllll International non-governmental organizations;

lllll Community groups, including Parent-Teacher

Associations; and

lllll Other members of the UN family in Myanmar.

Since UNICEF is funded exclusively by voluntary contributions,

donors are also a crucial component of its work in Myanmar.

UNICEF activities are funded by governments, the private sector

and individuals around the globe who support its work through

National Committees for UNICEF. Major donors include the

governments of Japan, the United States, Canada, the Netherlands,

Norway, the United Kingdom and Sweden, as well as the European

Commission and UNICEF National Committees in Japan, the

United States and Australia.


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THE WAY FORWARD

UNICEF in Myanmar is committed to the advancement

of childrens fundamental rights. With an eye to the

future, UNICEF will continue to extend basic lifesaving

assistance to more underserved areas, expand ongoing

program activities in disadvantaged communities, support and

empower communities and strongly advocate for the rights of

all of Myanmars women and children.

UNICEFs future objectives include helping to ensure that

every child in Myanmar is immunized against deadly diseases,that maternal and neonatal tetanus are eliminated, that child

malaria rates are reduced, that the majority of pregnant

women receive information on the prevention of HIV/AIDS,

that more child-friendly preschools and daycare centers are

established, that more children have access to clean water

and sanitary facilities, and that more families and communities

are empowered to protect children from abuse, exploitation

and trafficking.

The road ahead is challenging, but not insurmountable.

Myanmars people possess an indomitable spirit, and a

determined resolve to create a world where future

generations of children can grow up healthy, well-educated

and protected from harm.


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UNICEF in Myanmar

Communication Section6th Floor, Yangon International Hotel330, Ahlone Road, Dagon TownshipYangon, Myanmar

Phone: 95-1-212086/87/90/91Fax: 95-1-212063E-mail: [email protected]: http://www.unicef.org/myanmar

PhotosUNICEF Myanmar/Noorani

September 2004

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