Chevron supports access to public health programs near Mount Poppa in central Myanmar.
As one of four partners, Chevron has a
minority, nonoperating interest in the
Yadana gas field offshore Myanmar in the
Andaman Sea and in a 249-mile (400-km)
natural gas pipeline. The gas helps meet
Southeast Asia's demand for energy.
We continue to support the calls for a
peaceful resolution to issues facing the
country in a manner that respects the
human rights of the people of Myanmar.
We believe that social development and
economic development are interrelated;
and constructive engagement, together
with development programs and support,
will ultimately contribute to peace and
prosperity for the people of Myanmar.
In 2008, Chevron contributed $698,000,
in full compliance with U.S. government
laws and regulations, to the Yadana
Project's partner-funded community
engagement projects focused on health
and education. By providing
support for
basic human needs, these efforts, we
believe, contribute to greater stability and
security. Since 2002, the project partners
have been participants in the Corporate
Engagement Project of CDA Collaborative
Learning Projects, a U.S. nonprofit
organization that has been visiting the
pipeline area and publishing its independent
observations. The most recent of its
five reports was published in February
2008. Its reports are publicly available at
CDAinc.com.
In addition, Chevron independently funds
projects through Pact, an NGO that has
been providing health, microfinance
and other programs in Myanmar for 10
years. From 2003 through 2008, Chevron
contributed $1,694,000 to the Pact
health project Strengthening Community
Response to Disease (SCR). In partnership
with Chevron, SCR provides village-based
workshops during which communities
assess their existing community development
situation, set goals for change and
develop plans to address communitydefined
development priorities. A second
workshop assists villages in establishing
locally financed health and development
funds. Training is provided for funds management
and for caretaking programs to
help decrease the incidence of tuberculosis,
HIV/AIDS and malaria.
Through Chevron's support since the
beginning of the partnership and continuing
into 2010 for the current program
phase, Pact will have done the following:
- Reached 1,058 villages, with an estimated
population of approximately 1.2 million.
- Trained nearly 2,600 villagers in caretaking
programs.
- Counseled hundreds of
clients and tested them for HIV/AIDS, and distributed
thousands of condoms.
- Constructed more than 19,000 latrines in
villages to combat diarrheal disease.
Since 2005, Village Health and Development Fund amounts have grown from an
average of $34 per village to $338.
“I think the SCR program sponsored by
Chevron is about empowering the community to take responsibility for their own
health and development. The program affects both communities and individuals
as they gain confidence and learn strategies to bring about change. Its immediate
impact includes enhanced knowledge in health and increased opportunity to
assess their health status and make plans for improvement through management
of village-owned resources. In the long term, communities reduce the incidence
of communicable diseases and increase their capacity to control their future.”
— Dr. Ei Thinzar Min Min Oo, Pact Staff Doctor, Dry Zone, Myanmar
Updated: May 2009