MYANMAR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND – PROGRAMME BRIEF

Myanmar is at a critical juncture in its development, having emerged from

years of strict military rule and political and economic isolation. A new
government has instituted reforms and reiterated its commitment to health,
education and rural development. With public consumption and private
investments on the rise, the country is poised for rapid economic growth.
Despite these prospects, however, Myanmar remains one of the poorest
countries in Southeast Asia. State controls and economic isolation have
resulted in suppressed entrepreneurship, a diminished role of the private
sector, and under-developed markets.

KEY FACTS ABOUT MYANMAR

Demographic Data: Population: 53 million; Per capita GDP: USD 1,272 (2017); Median Age: 281
Poverty: Poverty rates have dipped from 45% in 2004 to 26% in 2015; Second-highest rate of infant and child
mortality in ASEAN (7.2/100); 29% of Myanmar’s children are stunted; 6 out of 10 children drop out of school
prematurely in rural areas.2
Infrastructure: Less than 1/3 of the population have access to an electricity grid; Mobile and internet
penetration rates have risen to 60 and 25% in 2014, respectively.2

COMMUNITY-DRIVEN DEVELOPMENT(CDD)
CDD is an approach to philanthropic grants and investments “My top priority is for people to
that empowers local communities to identify and develop the understand that they have the
strategies and projects they need to advance economic power to change things themselves”
growth and social outcomes. A CDD approach is ground-up, -Aung San Suu Kyi
holistic and asset-based. It means not having a pre-conceived
agenda, as well as a willingness to work across a spectrum of issues from livelihood to healthcare. It means
taking a multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder approach towards problem-solving. And it means encouraging
a shift in orientation from the “needs” and “problems” of a community, towards “assets” and “opportunities”.
By devolving decision making power to members of the community, CDD projects enjoy greater legitimacy
and are relevant to the needs of its beneficiaries. Community members participate directly in projects, thereby
ensuring future ownership and sustainability of their projects.

SHAN STATE
Bordering China, Laos and Thailand, Shan State is a mostly mountainous area of North Eastern Myanmar.
Decades of violent conflict between various ethnic groups and illegal drug trade have severely impeded the
region’s socio-economic development. A recent ceasefire in 2016, however, presents an immediate
opportunity to build peace dividends in the region. Strong economic prospects (strategic location for trade,
growing tourism industry and promising public infrastructure projects) when coupled with sustainable social
progress and opportunities at the community level could reverse years of economic stagnation, especially for
the region’s rural communities who suffer from some of the highest rates of poverty in the country.

1
https://knoema.com/atlas/Myanmar 2http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/myanmar/overview
MYANMAR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND (MCDF)- AN APC MEMBER LED DONOR
COLLABORATIVE
ASEAN Community Impact Funds (ACIF): MCDF is a Sub-Fund of ACIF, a portfolio of philanthropic grand
funds that enables philanthropists to join forces and resources with their peers and cooperatively design and
oversee the execution of high impact programmes in specific sectors and geographies in ASEAN that are
aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
MCDF’s mission is to cultivate and empower local leaders in the Taunggyi District of South Shan region of
Myanmar to create long-term sustainable and scalable community development projects that will benefit the
community. MCDF will identify local youth leaders and key organizational partners who demonstrate a
commitment to community development within the 12 townships of Taunggyi District. Youth leaders will be
engaged through an iterative process of generating and exchanging new ideas on adaptive community
development. MCDF will work with local community and business leaders to offer mentorship, resources and
leadership development opportunities to transform the ideas and innovations of selected youth leaders into
viable ventures that can provide meaningful social and economic impact on their communities. Over time, the
Fund aims to foster a strong formal and informal network of capable individuals and institutions from the
government, private sector, civil society and the community that can drive the local development process.
MCDF’s approach centers around three interconnected sets of activities:
1. Nurturing social cohesion by engaging members of the community to both lead and participate in the
community development process
2. Investing in key projects that drive economic growth and offer livelihood opportunities, ranging from
infrastructure to value chain development. Example sectors include agro-processing, manufacturing,
tourism, and environmental management.
3. Strengthening public and private sector institutions to support and develop social and economic
initiatives.
The Fund will work in two phases:
In Phase I local youth leaders will receive funds to support learning and leadership development and to scope
and develop pilot micro-enterprise projects. Based on the results of these initial activities, youth leaders are
expected to recommend and develop a strategy and timeline to implement more large-scale projects in Phase
II. In Phase II, APC will select and fund high impact and sustainable cornerstone projects that, if successfully
implemented, can be deepened, or replicated and scaled in various communities throughout the region.

FUND SUMMARY
Target Amount: SGD 20-30 milllion [USD 15-22.5 million]
Fund Duration: 2017-2027 (10 Years); Phase 1: Capacity Building, Ideation & Pilot Projects (2017-2019);
Phase 2: Scale Up and Leverage High Impact Projects (2019-2027)
Target Geography: Taunggyi District, South Shan State
Potential Partners: Community Based Organizations, Local Businesses & Community Leaders
Structure & Process: Fund donors are invited to participate in a Working Group to define and further develop
the Fund’s strategy and implementation process.
Donor Learning & Integration: The Fund offers donors a hands-on approach to the fundamentals of
programme design and implementation in community development. Donors are invited to engage pro-
actively and support and evaluate the ideation and investment stages of the projects. Where possible, donors
are encouraged to leverage existing philanthropic and business assets to mentor youth leaders, assess
business opportunities and support implementation of the fund.