The recent political developments in Myanmar have had implications for Malteser International’s humanitarian operations in the country. “The state of emergency declared on 1st February in the country has made access to many communities we work with difficult,” said Cordula Wasser, Regional Head of the Order of Malta’s international relief agency’s Asia program. “This has heavily affected our project activities across the country. We are closely following developments and hope to resume our lifesaving work for people in need.”
Malteser International first began working in Myanmar in 1996, implementing small-scale relief projects with local partners, and it has been active with its own staff in the country since 2001. Today, Malteser International employs nearly 300 national staff in Rakhine, Shan and Kayin states, where its work aims at ensuring communities have access to primary health care services. It also offers comprehensive WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) and disaster risk reduction/climate change adaptation solutions and provides relief after disasters.
