Myanmar

Project Overview

BKFA have worked in Myanmar since 2003. Many kits reach the refugee camps along the Thai - Myanmar border via volunteers. It is a country of high need with a maternal mortality rate of 360:100,000 live births.

BKFA supplied 4000 kits for AusAID to use in an emergency

We work with the following three organisations in Myanmar:

1. Marie Stopes International Myanmar

2. Partners Relief and Development Australia (aka Partners World)

3. GraceWorks Myanmar

Participating Organisations

Marie Stopes International (MSI) (http://www.mariestopes.org/)

MSI have received 22853 kits since 2003. MSI runs programmes in rural areas that promote safe motherhood and encourages women empowerment and micro credit opportunities when women buy the kits and let the auxiliary midwives use them when they deliver their babies at home. The auxiliary midwives are volunteers. The BKFA is hoping to send another 2000 kits in 2012.

Partners World (http://partnersworld.org.au/)

Based in Australia, the BKFA have worked with them since 2006. They have volunteers who take bags of kits with them from Australia to distribute to the refugees camps along the Thai Myanmar border. Distribution of kits is to the Karen, Karenni and Shah States, with Birth Attendant training conducted by Registered Midwives. So far we have supplied them with 10,300 kits for their programme since 2006.

GraceWorks Myanmar (http://www.graceworksmyanmar.org.au/)

GraceWorks is a new partner organisation and they are currently awaiting the arrival of the pilot kits.