Equipping Village Development Committees to lead effectively in Myanmar

For anyone in a leadership position, the ability to run a meeting effectively is an important skill. So are things like goal setting and making sure everyone’s voice and perspective can be heard. Many of us have attended workshops or seminars to build these skills. And now, the same opportunity is available to our neighbors in Myanmar who are part of newly-formed Village Development Committees.

CWS, in partnership with Lutheran World Federation, has helped about a dozen communities in Maubin Township, Myanmar, establish these VDCs. Groups like these, which are part of many of our programs worldwide, are the backbone of the sustainability of our work. Yes, we help communities make infrastructure changes like building clean water systems. And we lead information sessions for families to learn about topics like child nutrition or hygiene. But what happens when the water system is complete, or the information session ends?

VDCs are made of elected or volunteer community members who continue the impact of the work. In addition to having vital advisory roles on program activities, they also support families to continue putting into practice what they have learned, maintain new systems or convene regular meetings of program participants. And thanks to some recent Leadership and Management Training Workshops in the area, they can do this more effectively and efficiently.

Between the two three-day workshops, 55 men and women came together to learn more about leading their groups. Participants included committee chairs, secretaries, bookkeepers and general members. Key topics were community development, community participation, good governance, leadership styles and management techniques. Practical sessions covered meeting facilitation, goal setting, work planning, activity leadership, monitoring and follow-up.

Since this was a first-time learning-sharing opportunity of this kind for most people, everyone joined enthusiastically in discussions and asked many questions, many of which were answered in conversation with other VDC members. Everyone also had a chance to practice facilitating a meeting and leading a discussion; and, one priority of the training team was to share ways and means to encourage women’s participation is all activities.

In reflecting on her time in one of the training workshops, Daw Wan Wan Lwin from Auk Htone village said, “It is really worth my time to join these sessions because this is the first time for me to learn things like this. [Though I knew the basics of what being a Committee member means], I now understand more of my role and responsibilities as a leader and I feel more confident as a woman leader.” (Despite the fact that more than a third of the workshop participants were women, it is still not typical for women in rural Myanmar to be community leaders – though this is changing with the CWS Integrated Resilience and Development project, and others like it across Myanmar.) Daw Wan Wan Lwin continued, saying, “Now I will use what I have learned, especially about facilitating meetings, to help Auk Htone organize to create a development plan. I am sure that my fellow Committee members do not think nor feel differently from me.”

A post-workshop survey showed that everyone was satisfied with what they learned and experienced, both in terms of the process and the content. Eleven VDCs are now well-equipped to hit the ground running on behalf of their families and neighbors. And, as Committee members reach out to their neighbors and other village leaders and duty bearers to ensure quality work to improve water, sanitation and hygiene; mothers’ nutrition awareness and knowledge; young children’s nutritional status; some families livelihoods and everyone’s preparedness for disasters, CWS staff will follow-up regularly with VDC members to help ensure continued self-confidence and results-oriented action to benefit all community members.