Commitment to Local Leadership

After many years of working in Myanmar, we are taking the next step in our commitment to supporting local Myanmar leadership. This year our Myanmar office has registered as a local non-governmental organization called Tharthi Myay Foundation (Peaceful Land), a name that reflects our joint vision of strong communities working together for peace and prosperity.

Local ownership of development initiatives has always been a core tenant of our work. In assisting the transition of our local staff to an independent grant-making and social movement-building organization, this commitment is stronger than ever. Partners Asia will continue to work with Tharthi Myay as an implementing partner in Myanmar, and we will build on our grant-making, research and mentoring programming regionally. The creation of Tharthi Myay is an exciting chance to further develop a model of local grant-making that emphasizes accountability to beneficiaries, close collaboration with partners and support for under-resourced, but incredibly important grassroots efforts.

In taking this moment to reflect on our decades of work in Myanmar and the Thai-Myanmar border, both Partners Asia and Tharthi Myay Foundation hope to contribute to Myanmar’s bright future for many years to come.