Myanmar (Burma)

Health & Hope

Health & Hope’s Founder, Dr Sasa, was born in a remote village in Chin state. His community had little or no healthcare facilities, limited education opportunities and chronic food shortages. He witnessed his parents taken for forced labour and the death of friends from preventable illnesses such as diarrhoea, and saw many women and babies die during childbirth.

Dr Sasa walked for many days to reach high school in Yangon, the first child from his village ever to attend. He learnt three new languages, graduated top of his class, and later travelled overseas to study medicine.

Dr Sasa returned to Chin state to launch the region’s first primary healthcare service, where 150 villages sent one male and one female to be trained as Community Health Workers. Health & Hope have since played their part in caring for tens of thousands of people across hundreds of villages.

In early 2021, Dr Sasa left his position at Health & Hope to focus on political responsibilities in 2021. Health & Hope’s vision remains: to see empowered, thriving, self-sustaining communities in Myanamr.

Shan Women's Action Network (SWAN)

SWAN’s flagship project, the Women’s Wellbeing Programme, reduces maternal and child mortality rates. Trained health workers are equipped to return to their villages in Shan state and among refugees from Myanmar in Thailand.

They provide antenatal care and family-planning services. They assist in deliveries and conduct weighing sessions for children to identify those suffering from malnutrition. SWAN also provide emergency assistance for migrant women and children in crisis, particularly those affected by serious illness or domestic violence.

Across Shan State, children as young as ten are recruited by armed groups. Thousands of boys and girls have escaped to remote jungles and borderlands, often ending up in areas controlled by criminal networks, facing new dangers and exploitation.

SWAN support children in more than 20 informal settlements in the borderlands. They provide safe and inclusive education, nourishing meals and the chance for children to heal, grow and build brighter futures. SWAN are a lifeline to families in crisis.

Loi Tai Leng School

During the peak of COVID-19 in 2021, the border between Myanmar and Thailand remained closed and the cost of transporting food to the school almost doubled. With no other international donors, school staff were nervous about having to reduce the number of school meals, but with HART’s support were able to provide 340 boarding students with three full meals per day throughout the year.