Dan Church Aid (DCA) - Consultancy Service for Baseline Study for Save Lives and Build Resilience - 2017

Project Description:

MKE was commissioned to collect baseline information and establish benchmarks for the proposed outcomes in the Country Plan of DCA for Myanmar. The baseline assessment employed a mix of both quantitative and qualitative approaches of data collection. Country programme log-frame was reference point as linked to outcomes under programme. The consultancy covered the components of WASH; hygiene, sanitation and access to safe water and other cross cutting issues like gender, and accountability.

CORAD & GRET - Promoting Agricultural diversification and Economic integration in Northern Chin State - 2017

Project Description:

The project focused on the capacity building of various Community Based Organizations - CBO (farmer groups, networks of farmer groups, producers’ groups) to enable them to access and/or provide sustainable and relevant services in the technical & economic fields. Various partners and stakeholders contributed to the outcomes & results of the action: GRET as official partner, ICIMOD, CRS/KMSS, Technical Experts, public departments (DoA, DRD, SLRD, SAI, DAR), private sector and local government.

The project implementation would further respond to the cross cutting issues gender empowerment, participatory decision making, nutritive-sensitive agriculture systems, and institutional sustainability.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development - Study on Mining Sector Stakeholder Interaction in Shan State - 2017

Project Description:

The BGR-DOM Project “Sustainable Development of the Mining Sector in Myanmar” was a programme module integrated in the technical cooperation programme “Sustainable Economic Development” that had been commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BGR). Project partner was the Department of Mines (DOM) that was responsible for the national guidance and supervision of the mining sector in Myanmar.

The project’s aim was to improve the quality of mining supervision with respect to safety, social and environmental aspects. MKE provided two local experts to assist the lead firm and the project consultants to accomplish a study on a study on the topic of “mining sector stakeholder interaction in Shan State’ commissioned by the DOM-BGR project.

LuxDev - Baseline Survey for Eastern Shan State Rural Development and Inclusion Project - 2017

Project Description:

The MYA/002 project aimed to promote inclusive, cohesive and sustained groups, communities, institutions and systems for the benefits of the rural population of a minimum of 15 000 to a maximum of 25 000 disadvantaged people in East Shan State (ESS). MKE was commissioned and completed a baseline survey before the formal starting of the project which was planned around 1 July 2017 and to inform and complete the set of 14 Indicator Identity Sheets (IIS) - subject to the present baseline survey.

LIFT - Interim Review of LIFT 2015-2018 Strategy - 2017

Project Description:

LIFT is a multi-donor fund designed to address the food insecurity and income poverty of poor and vulnerable people in Myanmar. In light of Myanmar’s political, social and economic transformation, LIFT developed a new strategy in 2014 supporting the transformation of Myanmar’s rural economy by promoting inclusive growth and providing new knowledge, technologies and access to finance and markets with more opportunities for agribusiness with the private sector.

MKE’s role was to review LIFT’s strategy in order to improve LIFT’s performance and governance, and to inform future possible funding mechanisms beyond 2018. This required reviewing key documents relating to LIFT’s strategy including specific project documents, such as project proposals, MEAL plans, and project reports, were made available for the review team. MKE also conducted meetings with key Fund Board members, FMO staff, and other stakeholders. The team visited all four agro-ecological target areas to review project progress. Finally MKE produced a final report highlighting key findings with regards to the performance of LIFT, and providing recommendations for future funding strategies.

Care - Facilitation to enhance women’s participation, increased access to information and market in the Rubber Sector - 2016

Project Description:

The project aimed to conduct a series of pilot intervention activities, with the ultimate aim of determining the best method to support women and men small-holder farmers (SHFs) to increase their rubber productivity, quality and gain secured access to land and ultimately to increase their income through improved market actions.

MKE designed and conducted a feasibility study to determine app/phone usage in the area, interviewing target beneficiaries and conducting key informant interviews (KIIs) with rubber sector engaged organizations; interpreting the results and ensuring suitable iterative planning and implementation of the pilot training activities. MKE team discuss where shortcomings in the SHF exist and what broad types of trainings or apps would be most suitable and train activities to rubber farmers and to demonstrate certain tools are used or certain techniques.

MKE conducted all monitoring and evaluating of the use and uptake of apps and those of trainings; produced a final report analysing the results (achieved through “outcome harvesting”) from the pilot interventions, and provided recommendations and considerations towards upscaling such interventions on a region-wide level.

World Concern - Nutrition Causal Analysis - Improved economic and nutritional outcome of poor rural people in Norther Kayin State - 2016

Project Description:

A Nutrition Causal Analysis (NCA) was one of the activities planned during the inception phase of CDN’s LIFT-funded rural livelihoods project. The NCA included a quantitative and qualitative methodology. The quantitative data for the NCA was collected from household interviews (400 households).

MKE reviewed and finalized the quantitative questionnaire and FGD questionnaire, and uploaded it into Kobo Toolbox, translated the qualitative and quantitative questionnaire into Burmese, and contributed in the design of a high quality study (qualitative and quantitative) in coordination with World Concern Myanmar. Further, MKE conducted the pilot testing and finalized the qualitative and quantitative questionnaire; then cleaned the quantitative and qualitative data and produced high quality data available for analysis. The final stage of the project involved the writing of a report based off of the findings from both qualitative and quantitative analyses. This report included a list of recommendations for the implementation of the project.

CDN - Baseline Study: Improving the incomes and nutrition outcomes of rural poor in Northern Kayin State - 2016

Project Description:

This project was focused on Thandaunggyi Township, the northernmost township in Kayin State. It covered three sub-townships (Leiktho, Thandaunggyi and Bawgali). The baseline study focused on baseline data collected for a set of indicators outlined in the project’s M&E plan. The baseline study report was used as a measurement to monitor the project progress against the set indicators and achievement over the course of the project implementation.

MKE led the overall design of approach and survey questions for the baseline study and trained enumerators in conducting a baseline survey. MKE cleaned and analyzed the collected data and information obtained from the baseline survey. Finally, MKE delivered a final baseline survey report with statistical testing of the Theory of Change causal pathways and a set of 36 recommendations.

UNDP - Assessment, Identification and Monitoring of Small-scale Water Infrastructure Needs for Drinking & Irrigation Water in the DryZone of Myanmar - 2016

Project Description:

The project aimed to reduce the increasing impacts of climate change on agricultural and livestock production cycles in the dry zone of Myanmar, particularly the impacts of increasing temperature and evaporation, declining water availability, and intensifying weather events especially flash floods and cyclones.

MKE took responsibility for writing the work plan, organizing township level coordination meetings, including preparing all necessary invitations, administration, logistics, and setting the agenda. MKE also managed and led the coordination meetings to varying degrees, based on results of Township level coordination meetings, realized field verification and consultation with the communities by village meetings and a rapid need assessment (RNA).

Further, MKE assisted in the preparation, translation and capitalization of the results to inform the choice of target villages, organized village level consultation meetings, and Water User Groups (WUG). 

Carbon Trust - Scoping study for a low carbon energy security programme in Southeast Asia - 2016

Project Description:

This Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) funded project aimed at promoting low carbon economies by working with governments and organisations in the UK and internationally to reduce carbon emissions. It also aimed to promote the efficient and cost effective management of energy, water and resources, and enable the development of commercial low carbon technologies.

MKE carried out research activities and worked closely with stakeholders to collect and input data as identified in the Excel template sheet provided by the Carbon Trust. MKE carried out initial qualitative research covered by the main policies relevant to renewable energy, energy efficiency, and liquefied natural gas. MKE also conducted a stakeholder mapping exercise according to an influence-interest matrix. MKE’s team facilitated discussions with local stakeholders, including government representatives, parliamentarians and multilateral and bilateral donors and NGOs.