Première Urgence – Aide Médicale Internationale (PU-AMI) just extended its intervention in Tanintharyi Township of Tanintharyi Division, Myanmar, thanks to the collaborative support of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Agency.
The Tanintharyi Region of South East Myanmar has been affected since the late 80s by an internal conflict resulting in thousands of forced displacement of people. Moreover, relocation and land confiscation have pushed thousands of people to resettle in relocated, repopulated and consolidated villages. A ceasefire has been signed on January the 12th of 2012, which should mark the beginning of better and more important development activities for this region.
Since January 2012 PU-AMI is assisting the populations affected by displacement and their host communities within 52 villages and their surroundings of Tanintharyi Township (approximately 37,000 inhabitants). “This grant extension is very important for the services provided to the population of this area: over the last 6 months, our teams have provided the population with more than 6,000 medical consultations, and have offered Health Education sessions to more than 31,000 people” states Gael Conan, PU-AMI Programme Coordinator. “PU-AMI is the only international medical organisation intervening in this remote area of Myanmar on Primary Healthcare. Thanks to this new funding, we will be able to provide the same services to thousands more amongst the most vulnerable, targeting up to 60,000 inhabitants during the next 6 months” he added.
“The starting point of the intervention is to provide basic health services to 86 remote and so far neglected villages of Tanintharyi Township targeting in priority the most vulnerable. Community mobilization and capacity-building at field level will be key elements of this intervention. Advocacy and capacity-building will be complemented by the necessary improvements in access to basic health services. Special emphasis will be placed on strengthening community health group, peaceful co-existence between ethnic groups, and increasing women participation in the project. Through this project, PU-AMI will reinforce the community mobilization and strengthen the community health network, especially referral links and public utilization. The long term goals are to promote the utilization of local health services and to support the official Health network, but not to offer alternative system” explains Conan.
Integrated health promotion has been highlighted, at least since the Ottawa Charter signed in 1986, as a crucial approach to improve population health and address issues that cause significant disease burden in the communities. “Health and care in close link with community development is one of PU-AMI priorities in Myanmar. Our organisation implements a number of healthcare projects aiming at meeting the urgent needs of the vulnerable people in remote areas in this transitional period for the country. We support the strengthening of the government’s health services through reproductive Health and HIV / STI prevention, primary health care, mother and child health care, hygiene and sanitation promotion, health education and promotion, social support to the most vulnerable as well as community empowerment. Our overall objective is to improve the general well being of the communities through health promotion” says Gael Conan. “The needs of the people in these remote areas are enormous. We expect more donors will support us so we could meet these needs as much as possible”, he concluded.
Background information:
PU-AMI is a French-based INGO that operates in Myanmar since 2001. PU-AMI implements a health oriented project with IDPs and host population in Tanintharyi Township of Tanintharyi Division since 2012.
Currently the organization, emphasizing on community empowerment, also operates a wash and health oriented-project with urban poor in South Yangon, where a preventive and curative program aiming at tackling HIV/AIDS has also been developed; and a new project to improve access to healthcare for the Kawkareik Township population (Kayin State).
After 10 years, it has also recently suspended a project in the Wa Special Region #2 for lack of funding despite important needs.
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CONTACTS
Frédéric Pascal (Desk Officer, Paris)
fpascal@pu-ami.org Tel.: +33 (0)1 55 66 99 66
Claire Ha-Duong (Country Director, Yangon)
mmr.countrydirector@pu-ami.org Tel. : + 951 526487