| Project Detail |
COVID-19 and the military coup had a negative impact on the availability of jobs, economic resilience and access to training in Myanmar. This last phase of the VSDP project aims to provide an alternative for women and youth to get relevant training and (self-) employment while supporting micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises to improve their income, contribute to learning and create jobs. The project builds on Switzerland’s strategic position and experience in the vocational training sector.
Myanmars economy has suffered enormously since the covid pandemic and the military coup. 40% of the population live below the poverty line with more than a million people who lost their jobs. All this is happening in a context of conflict that also affects the education sector, preventing millions of children from accessing education. Engagement with the Ministries involved in Technical and Vocational Educational and Training is no longer possible as per Swiss/UN engagement principles. Nevertheless, after an intense reorientation exercise following the coup, the last phase of VSDP aims to provide an alternative for young people to get relevant training and (self-) employment while supporting micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises to improve their own income, contribute to learning through practical work and create jobs. Switzerland/SDC with Swisscontact has a comparative advantage thanks to our thematic expertise and knowledge of the Myanmar context after already 9 years of activity in this sector.
Objectives The overall goal is to contribute to better livelihood opportunities and increased economic resilience for women and men in target areas. The geographic focus is southern Shan, the southeast (Mon & Kayin) and Yangon. Selected sectors: Agriculture, traditional textiles and infrastructure maintenance were selected for their economic potential and resilience in the current context. |
