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Nothing is more important to sustaining life than clean, safe drinking water. And thanks to KBZ Bank, 40,000 people in Myanmar have access to it for the first time.
The so-called Water Project is a personal mission of the chairman, U Aung Ko Win, to improve living standards and eradicate poverty in the underdeveloped areas of the Southern Shan State where he grew up.
Started about a year ago, the project has discovered fresh water sources in areas of the country where previous attempts had failed. Nearly 40 villages now have wells and taps at their disposal, and the bank takes care of operational expenses.
The $2.4 million investment in the project is just the beginning. “We plan to extend our water project to other towns and cities. It’s an ongoing project, we have not stopped since we started,” says U Nyo Myint, senior managing director at the bank.
“We are so proud of our water project,” he adds. “This will help over the generations and will be in place for ever. People didn’t expect to ever have a constant supply of clean water in their lives, and we have provided that. It will support the economy and villagers’ livelihoods also.”
Agriculture is a crucial part of Myanmar’s economy, accounting for 60% of GDP. Droughts have in the past decimated crops, the water project should mean that is never the case again for many farmers.
Aside from the water project the bank has run other initiatives in the last 12 months, such as a charity run that attracted 10,000 participants. The idea was to bring together local people with the growing international community in the country. All proceeds from ticket sales went towards developing text-to-speech technology in the national language to assist the visually impaired.
Lone Modi is a health and hygiene education programme focused on women. So far eight villages have held learning sessions with huge turnouts. Expansion is planned.
“We are very proud to serve the people of Myanmar, we make every effort to uplift the standard of living,” says U Nyo Myint.
The repatriation of stranded migrant workers is also an important project undertaken by the bank. Some 4,000 workers have returned free of charge from Indonesia, Malaysia and India as part of this programme.
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Drilling under way in the Southern Shan State in Myanmar |
