Lessons from Community Driven Development in Myanmar : Analysis of Preliminary Results

This paper presents the lessons from phase I of the community driven development (CDD) project being implemented in Myanmar. The CDD approach has a special relevance and application in the context of Myanmar as the majority of villages are in remote locations where the government does not have the funding and technical capacity to support communities living in hard-to-reach villages. The pilot project has supported communities to build their village infrastructure through technical assistance and direct funding intervention. Planning, design and implementation of infrastructure items of priority were implemented by villagers who were facilitated by several technical teams. The results reveal that CDD is a successful approach to support communities in remote areas to develop their infrastructure facilities. The CDD delivered outcome within a short time period, with high quality and the lowest cost. The gender empowerment is another significant process that was facilitated through the CDD approach.