Building for tomorrow

Myanmar
The troubled South Asian country of Myanmar has endured political turmoil and violence recently, so we were doubly pleased to be able to bring some stability to families in an impoverished seafaring community.

In partnership with Habitat for Humanity, we’ve made improvements to the homes of 72 families and built a new school for more than 300 pupils in the country’s largest port city, Yangon.

We’ve also run awareness-raising events, helping 1,300 people to widen their understanding around the importance of good hygiene and sanitation in preventing the spread of diseases.

“I’m a widow, and my 8-year-old daughter and I didn’t have a proper toilet. With my own budget, I could never have afforded this. We would get ill in the rainy season because of dirty water flooding everywhere, but now thanks to the elevated walkway and new toilet, we’ll be a lot safer.”

Single mum Daw Aye on the improvements we’ve made to her home.

Philippines
We’ve recently completed a new storm-proof school and educational facilities for the seafaring community of Lipayran island.

The original building was not big enough to cater for everyone and some classrooms were little more than shacks, unable to withstand any tropical storms.

Once pandemic restrictions lift, more than 800 children will be able to attend the new school and Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) training will be offered to residents.

It will also serve as an emergency shelter from typhoons and provide a base for adult education and other community activities.

The project will make a huge difference, not only improving access to education but the long-term economic prospects of the community as a whole.