Learning in the Field U Pwint, a 40-year-old married man living in Kaung Hote Village, Taunggyi Township, participated in a soybean cultivation initiative by Shanta Foundation in 2024. This initiative changed his traditional farming practices, which previously consisted of growing crops like corn, rice, garlic, peanuts, and sunflowers. As part of the project, U Pwint [...]
Women's Group Discussion Meeting We have an exciting update from our Zambian partner villages! This spring, we are launching a new women’s empowerment program: Women’s Group Discussions (WGD). In our 4 Zambian partner villages, women will be trained to lead small group discussions in their villages. The discussion topics will range from reproductive health to [...]
The above images are from villages slated for major infrastructure projects this year. 2025 marks a significant year for Shanta Foundation as we embark on a crucial set of infrastructure projects in 8 (out of 17) of our partner villages in Myanmar. These projects, encompassing school construction, road renovations, water systems, and bridge building, are [...]
A key component of the multi-sectoral development project undertaken by Shanta Foundation and Htee Kan Laung Village is our women's empowerment program. This program facilitates small group discussions among women on critical topics such as child nutrition, immunization, hygiene, and safe motherhood. 91% of women (171 out of 188) actively participated in these discussions. This [...]
Walking through rural villages in Zambia, you’ll likely be greeted by countless smiling faces, waving children, and people eagerly saying “Mwabuka buti” in greeting. In Myanmar villages, the experience is remarkably similar. Of course, the languages are different, so you’ll hear “Mingalabar” instead. Despite being 5,000 miles apart, Zambia and Myanmar share striking cultural parallels [...]
Khun Maung Mya, a 38-year-old resident of Nam Yin Village, shares his home with his wife and two daughters. With a third-grade education, Khun Maung Mya works diligently to provide for his family, farming 10 acres of corn and rice and operating a tractor and tiller. Together, these efforts bring in an annual income of [...]
Several years ago, the Shanta Board of Directors began exploring the possibility of launching our Village Partnership Model (VPM) on a different continent. From our inception in 2006, all of Shanta’s groundbreaking work on poverty reduction has been done in SE Asia. Would our innovative model work in a different culture? On a different continent? [...]
In May, Fort Lewis College's Village Aid Project (VAP) partnered with community members in Siyowi and Nachili to build two water systems and two bridges. Now, five months after project completion, the responsibility to ensure sustainability and maintain the system has shifted to the community. Walking through these villages, the sense of ownership and pride [...]
Zambia gained its independence on October 24, 1964, after years of British colonial rule. Before independence, the country was known as Northern Rhodesia and was economically valuable to the British due to its rich copper reserves. However, the local population was largely excluded from political leadership and economic benefits. Initially, Zambians demanded greater African representation [...]
You might wonder why Shanta’s village partnerships take six whole years. (we get this question a lot!) Yes—it’s a big commitment! But every part of the process is intentional, with everyone in the village fully involved. We focus on things like leadership skills (a time-consuming educational process), economic development through projects and community banking, empowering [...]
Learning in the Field U Pwint, a 40-year-old married man living in Kaung Hote Village, Taunggyi Township, participated in a soybean cultivation initiative by Shanta Foundation in 2024. This initiative changed his traditional farming practices, which previously consisted of growing crops like corn, rice, garlic, peanuts, and sunflowers. As part of the project, U Pwint [...] 
Women's Group Discussion Meeting We have an exciting update from our Zambian partner villages! This spring, we are launching a new women’s empowerment program: Women’s Group Discussions (WGD). In our 4 Zambian partner villages, women will be trained to lead small group discussions in their villages. The discussion topics will range from reproductive health to [...] 
The above images are from villages slated for major infrastructure projects this year. 2025 marks a significant year for Shanta Foundation as we embark on a crucial set of infrastructure projects in 8 (out of 17) of our partner villages in Myanmar. These projects, encompassing school construction, road renovations, water systems, and bridge building, are [...] 
A key component of the multi-sectoral development project undertaken by Shanta Foundation and Htee Kan Laung Village is our women's empowerment program. This program facilitates small group discussions among women on critical topics such as child nutrition, immunization, hygiene, and safe motherhood. 91% of women (171 out of 188) actively participated in these discussions. This [...] 
Walking through rural villages in Zambia, you’ll likely be greeted by countless smiling faces, waving children, and people eagerly saying “Mwabuka buti” in greeting. In Myanmar villages, the experience is remarkably similar. Of course, the languages are different, so you’ll hear “Mingalabar” instead. Despite being 5,000 miles apart, Zambia and Myanmar share striking cultural parallels [...] 
Khun Maung Mya, a 38-year-old resident of Nam Yin Village, shares his home with his wife and two daughters. With a third-grade education, Khun Maung Mya works diligently to provide for his family, farming 10 acres of corn and rice and operating a tractor and tiller. Together, these efforts bring in an annual income of [...] 
Several years ago, the Shanta Board of Directors began exploring the possibility of launching our Village Partnership Model (VPM) on a different continent. From our inception in 2006, all of Shanta’s groundbreaking work on poverty reduction has been done in SE Asia. Would our innovative model work in a different culture? On a different continent? [...] 
In May, Fort Lewis College's Village Aid Project (VAP) partnered with community members in Siyowi and Nachili to build two water systems and two bridges. Now, five months after project completion, the responsibility to ensure sustainability and maintain the system has shifted to the community. Walking through these villages, the sense of ownership and pride [...] 
Zambia gained its independence on October 24, 1964, after years of British colonial rule. Before independence, the country was known as Northern Rhodesia and was economically valuable to the British due to its rich copper reserves. However, the local population was largely excluded from political leadership and economic benefits. Initially, Zambians demanded greater African representation [...] 
You might wonder why Shanta’s village partnerships take six whole years. (we get this question a lot!) Yes—it’s a big commitment! But every part of the process is intentional, with everyone in the village fully involved. We focus on things like leadership skills (a time-consuming educational process), economic development through projects and community banking, empowering [...]