The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved giving an additional $400 Million for the ongoing Myanmar National Community Driven Development Project (NCDDP). More health centers, schools, roads and drinking water system will be repaired and constructed for rural communities in Myanmar with $400 Million. Myanmar Government will improve access to basic services and essential infrastructure for an estimated 7 million people
across 62 Myanmar townships with the aid of the International Development As- sociation (IDA), the World Bank’s fund for low-income countries and the Government of Italy. Community Driven Development is a crucial part of Myanmar’s rural poverty reduction strategy. The NCDDP project supports Myanmar’s “people-centered” approach to rural development, focused on engagement with communities in poor and historically underserved rural areas. The
NCDDP has started since 2012 and putting communities in charge of planning and managing development resources. Villagers also have a chance to participate in choosing the rural infrastructure and services that the project offers for communities, such as rehabilitating and expanding school buildings, health centers, water supply systems, roads, footpaths, jetties and bridges. Now in its second step, over 1,000 sub-projects will be identified, designed and implemented by
communities over the next several months. “We are pleased to be able to expand access to services for poor people in Myanmar. These additional funds will help to trans- form the way rural development works. They will empower and motivate communities, by putting people in charge of how to manage community development resources,” said U Ohn Myint, Union Minister for the Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development. The experiences of Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines and Afghanistan with the NCDDP have shown the potential to advance community-grounded development on a national scale, including in conflict-affected areas. Ulrich Zachau, Country Director for the World Bank for South East Asia also said “Myanmar’s Community Driven Development Project has financed more than 350 subprojects to improve people’s lives in often remote rural communities and this new financing will help Myanmar expand the program, bringing clean water, better schools and safer access to markets to 1,700 villages across nine townships, and ultimately, to communities across 62 townships.” The World Bank, established in 1944, has become an international financial foundation that supports loans to developing countries. The World Bank is a part of the World Bank Group and also a member of the United Nations Development Group.
