For families from ethnic minorities, many of whom live in rural areas, the barriers are even higher. Development has been slower to reach these communities than other parts of the country, with a corresponding impact on health infrastructure. A child under five living in a rural area is nearly twice as likely to die as a child living in an urban setting. (UNICEF. Myanmar: Maternal, newborn and child health. Available at: https://www.unicef.org )

The project conducted the following activities to support health workers and to enhance community engagement in health care services in remote areas.
– Construction and renovation of health facilities
– Health worker training
– Community health volunteer training
– Health education
– Strengthening community maternal health service provisions

For example, the health infrastructure in Kyaukki Township, which is the eastern part of Myanmar’s Bago Region, was ill-equipped to serve the needs of its population, with numerous quality issues in service delivery. As a result, the utilization of maternal and newborn health care was limited, and opportunities for health workers and community members to gain new skills and knowledge were typically few and far between. The Kyaukkyi village health committees harnessed the power of community members themselves, offering support for community health activities and providing an emergency referral program for mothers and newborns in collaboration with midwives, as valued resources for families throughout the village.