With the support of the fund agency, Tai Youth Organization improved the community’s capacity to bring health care services to the most vulnerable communities in Southern Shan State, Myanmar. Through the implementing partner, One Implementing partner ’s close support to us, we are implementing a community demand generation project for local youth and adolescent populations in marginalized areas in Kyethi and Kunhing Townships. The project was implemented through community demand generation to empower the local community workforce and village health committee, and strengthen the peer youth groups to increase the uptake of health services in ethnic diversity. Emphasizing a sustainable community health system, TYO works to strengthen the community health system to improve young people’s access to high -quality, and equitable services in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
To promote the community health system for the most vulnerable communities in fragile setting of conflict affected area in Shan State, TYO is adopting a community-oriented approaches in a collaboration with local ethnic communities, ethnic based health organizations and local ethnic authorities. That includes-
Community-driven approach – delivering the results people need and empowering the local communities to take initiative on resource management, decision-making and community long-term development in underserved populations.
Community participation- reinforcing the community connections with service providers and organizing the collective actions for productive work done.
Local committees- communities create local committees like VHCs, MSG, peer to peer network, etc., to manage the process as decision makers in the design and delivery of health services.
Community contributions- the community can foster a stronger and more resilience environment for all members to thrive in. By sharing knowledge and resources among the community, individual can learn from each other and support one another in time of needs.
Technical resources- providing community local power and enhance capacity for fundamental aspects and concrete skills to build significant and greater impacts.
We work alongside beneficiaries, conflicted affected communities, village health committee, youth, adolescent and peer groups to ensure we are delivering the right based approaches. We work with fragile and vulnerable communities and engage community members as project partners, not simply aid recipients. we listen to, learn from, and explain our intentions and performance to the beneficiaries with whom we work. We aim to build a culture of accountability through integration our commitments to communities across system and practice.
In Shan, young people account for about 25 percent of the total population (aged 10-24 years). however, sexual and reproductive health is still considered a taboo subject, making it challenging for young people to access accurate information. TYO worked for nearly a decade to help the young and adolescent people to make informed decisions and choices for their healthier future.
Tai Youth Organization’s accountability to communities is codified across existing TYO’s policies. https://taiyouth.org
