AVISI – Who they are and what they do in Myanmar

AVSI is a non-profit organization founded in 1972 that implements development and humanitarian aid projects in 42 countries. AVSI envisions a world where individuals, aware of their value and dignity, are the protagonists of their own integral development and that of their communities, even in crisis and emergency contexts.

AVSI has been active in Myanmar since 2007, focusing on emergency and development programs across various sectors including education, vocational training, child protection, health and nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), agriculture and livelihoods, women’s empowerment and gender equality, rural development, and disaster risk reduction.

What NEF does with AVSI in Myanmar

Following the double earthquake of magnitudes 7.7 and 6.4 on 28 March in Myanmar, with epicentres in the towns of Mandalay and Sagaing, AVSI’s team in Myanmar promptly launched a support intervention campaign for the affected population. Initial activities carried out by AVSI’s team for the earthquake-affected population include the distribution of food and non-food items (e.g., drinking water, food, buckets with lids, soy milk).

The NextEnergy Foundation is financing AVSI’s intervention aimed at providing critical support for the protection and access to basic needs of vulnerable people and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Taunggyi and Inle Lake, Myanmar. The target population includes 375 individuals, and the intervention will last for two months.

The interventions will ensure the availability and access to essential food and non-food items and will improve housing conditions in shelters and homes of displaced communities through small-scale rehabilitation interventions, ensuring safe, decent, and functional environments.

Distribution of Essential Food and Non-Food Items: The objective of this activity is to address the specific needs of internally displaced people (IDPs) and vulnerable people living in or transiting through Taunggyi or towns along Inle Lake. Priorities include food, clothes, and blankets. This activity plans to reach 75 households (375 people) for a duration of two months. During the implementation of activities, the project may also help identify specific needs related to other areas such as economic, educational, and psychosocial support by promoting linkages with existing services provided by other organizations and local partners.

Housing or Shelter Rehabilitations: To ensure safe shelter for displaced people, small rehabilitations of community shelters or affected houses, deemed accessible for IDP reception, will be carried out. The aim is to ensure adequate safety for the housed individuals, even in the event of new earthquakes.

Updates on the activity will be provided at the end of the two-month intervention period, approximately at the end of July.