Nurture Group Initiative

Progress Report - Katie Chown

“We will surely get to our destination if we join hands.”  Aung San Suu Kyi

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The 2014 Nurture Group Initiative is a grassroots community development project designed to enhance provision of life skills development and psychosocial support for approximately 100 children, living at the Andrew Youth Development Centre (AYDC) in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma). Fostering existing partnerships with a local non-government organisation, Myanmar Vision International and the Australian charity organisation, MyKids Inc., the initiative involves equipping university students and high-school graduates with skills to facilitate weekly Nurture Groups with younger children in their community.

In response to recent stakeholder feedback, Nurture Group Coordinator Nancy Shwe has been working in Perth, Western Australia alongside Occupational Therapist Katie Chown. Together they are currently preparing a second-stage development of the Nurture Group Initiative, which will commence in early 2015.  This stage will involve delivery of crucial documents, translated into Burmese language, including a complete overview of the initiative as well as a comprehensive, Facilitator Training Manual.

Background

After travelling to Myanmar as a student to complete an AYDC Community Needs Assessment in January 2013, Katie Chown, Perth-based occupational therapist was struck by the inherent talent and potential of the children at AYDC. Katie was driven to make a programme that would nurture this within each child and enable community members to address their individual needs.

Katie returned to Myanmar in February 2014 to engage the AYDC community in a collaborative, first-stage development of the Nurture Group Initiative. During this time, Katie worked closely with Nancy Shwe to deliver introductory training to local volunteers and establish regular Nurture Groups that have been sustained by the community since April this year.

The key objectives include: homework support systems, two way communication system between residents and staff, conflict resolution strategy, life-skills checklist and a market day where the groups organise and produce a market stall showing them that they can work together to be innovative, creative problem solvers and move towards achievable goals.

Positive feedback from local stakeholders suggests that the Nurture Groups have been beneficial for the children and the greater community. AYDC Staff and Facilitators confirm that the mentor-support and learning opportunities that occur during nurture groups have led to positive developmental and behavioural outcomes for the children, particularly those with learning difficulties.

What’s next for the project?

The overall aim of the initiative is to become self-sustainable for the AYDC community. Nancy will return to Myanmar late November 2014 with the skills necessary to provide practical training that will accompany the manual as well as orientate future facilitators to the project. Katie aims to take on a supportive role in the initiative as Nancy becomes independent in her role as coordinator.

Fundraising

To fulfil the objectives of the Nurture Group Initiative, funds are required for the following:

  • Translation of project overview and training manual 
  • Cost of return to Myanmar for official hand-over 
  • Start-up of market stalls 

To make a donation please go to pozible.com