growing networks: supporting networks in myanmar

7/28/2019 Growing Networks: Supporting Networks in Myanmar

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GrowingNetworks?SupportingIssueBasedNetworksinMyanmar


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GrowingNetworks?

SupportingNetworksinMyanmar

AcasestudyofPaungKuandvillage

networksintheAyeyawaddyDelta

PaungKu,June2013


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1.Introduction

Theemergenceofnewnetworksandtheir

engagementwithissuesoflocalandnational

importancehasbeenamajorfeatureofthe

newpoliticalenvironmentinMyanmar.For

localandinternationaldevelopment

agenciesinterestedinpromotingwider

participationinpolicymakingespeciallyby

thepoorthisisanimportanttrend.

Yetacriticalquestionremainsastowhat

extent,andhow,thiskindofgrassroots

networkgrowthandadvocacyengagement

canbesupportedbyexternalorganisations.

Cannetworksbegrownbyexternal

organisations?Thispaperlooksatthis

questionusingtheexampleofanetworkof

villagegroupsacrossthreetownshipsinthe

AyeyarwadyDeltaregionofsouthern

Myanmar

InJanuary2012,thesenetworksformulateda

setofrecommendationsaboutnewlandlaws

abouttobeadoptedinparliament.Together

withoverfifteenhundredfarmerssignatures,

therecommendationsweresenttoMyanmar

PresidentTheinSein,theSpeakersof

Parliament(orhluttaw)andlocalmembersof

Parliament.

Thefarmerspetitionwasanexciting

moment:Itrepresentedoneofthefirst

examplesofmass,grassrootstonational

policyengagementwithMyanmarsnew

government.Anditrepresentedextraordinary

growth:fouryearsprior,thesefarmershad

beenworkingindividuallytorebuildafterthe

devastationofCycloneNargis.

Howthendidthesevillagegroupsgrowintoa

networkseekingto,amongotherthings,

participateinpolicymakingatthenational

level?Thispapertracesthecaseofthese

villagenetworks,including:

Thebackgroundtotheirformation Thewaystheyhavedeveloped WhytheyareimportantinMyanmars

newpoliticalenvironment

Andhowtheyweresupportedbyexternalagencies

Thepaperisbasedonprojectrecordsand

augmentedby23interviewsconductedin

February2013withPaungKustaff,mentors,

partnersandmaleandfemalemembersof

thedeltanetworks.

Thoughissuesoflivelihoods,landlawand

politicalchangeareraised,thispaperisnot

intendedtobeacomprehensivestatementon

theseareas.Rather,theanalysisisbasedon

interpretationsbynetworkleadersandseeks

toexploreifandhownetworksengaging

theseissuescanbesupported.

PaungKuisaMyanmarNGO,foundedin2007byaconsortium

oflocalandinternationalorganisationsasamechanismtogive

smallgrantstolocalgroups.Ithassincedevelopedwider

objectivesrelatedtocivilsocietycapacitytoaddressand

influencethemajorissuesfacingindividualcommunities,and

Myanmarasawhole.KeyPaungKuapproachesincludesmallgrantsandmentoring.

LoadingriceinBogale


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2.Background

Thissectionconsidersthebackgroundofthe

Deltanetworks:keycatalysingissues

includingCycloneNargisandlandand

livelihoods,andtheroleofPaungKu.

CycloneNargis

CycloneNargisinMay2008wasoneofthe

worstnaturaldisastersofrecentdecades,

killingover130,000peopleleavingovera

millionhomeless.TheCyclonesimpactwas

concentratedintheflat,heavilypopulated

Ayeyarwadyriverdeltaareawiththe

townshipsofBogale,Kyaiklatand

Mawlamyainggyunamongthoseworst

affected.

Thesubsequentreliefandrehabilitation

efforts,ledbylocalcommunitiesacrossthe

Deltaarea,catalysedtheformationofavast

setofnewcommunitybasedorganisations.

Whiletherehadalwaysbeenformalgroups

withindeltavillages,suchas thayenaye

funeralgroups,parent-teachercommittees

andreligiousorganisations,thesewerestrictly

limitedtosocialandreligiousaffairsandin

mostcasesdidnotconsiderwidervillage

development.

Atthesametime,theextentofdamageand

chaosfollowingthecyclonehadtheeffectof

suspendingmanyoftherestrictivesocial

normsandplacingrelationsbetween

authoritiesandcommunitiesinastateofflux.

Withinthisspacenewnormsrelatedto

freedomofassociationwereestablished.And

evenwhenlocalauthoritystructureshad

beenreinstitutedweeksormonthsafterthe

cyclone,thenewnormspersisted.Asone

networkleadersaid,Wewerentallowedto

formthiskindofgroupbefore[theCyclone].

Thenewreliefgroupsalsohadstrong

platformsfromwhichtowork,stemming

fromaccesstonewexternalresourcesand

connections(especiallywithlocaland

internationalNGOs)andtookonrolesin

developmentdecisionmakingthathadnot

beenpossiblebeforethedisaster.

Inmanyways,then,theDeltaarea

experiencedanassociationalrevolutionin

theperiodfollowingCycloneNargiswiththe

formationofthousandsofnewvillagegroups

disruptingdecadesoldrestrictionson

freedomofassociation.

LandRightsintheDelta

ThedevastatingimpactofCycloneNargis

causedmanyacuteproblemsforfarming

communities,whichinturnexacerbatedlong-

standingissuesoflandrights.

TheCyclonedestroyedalmostallpaddycrops

inthemostaffectedtownships,and

subsequentharvestsin2009werelowerin

yieldassaltwaterfloodinghadheavily

damagedthesoil.Duetothelosses

associatedwiththecyclone,farmersfelt

addedpressurestomaximiseyieldsinthewet

anddryseasonandtodothis,theyturned

toincreaseduseoffertiliser.Andyet,while

fertiliseruseanditsassociatedcosts

increasedseasonbyseason,yieldsremained

stagnantandwellbelowpre-Nargislevels.

Mostofthefarmersinterviewedestimatedthat2012yieldswereonly60percentthatof

yieldsbeforetheCyclone.

Inanimmediatesense,theseproblemswere

linkedtothecyclone.Buttheywerealso

chronicinthatthoseinterviewedsawthemas

inextricablylinkedtolongstandingissuesof

governmentlandandagriculturalpolicythat

hadstifleddevelopmentandproduction;

farmerswereunabletoformallyowntheirland(withtheStateformallyclaiming


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ownershipofallagriculturalland)andhad

onlylimitedfreedomintheirchoiceofcrops.

Further,duetothehighlyunevennatureof

costsandreturnsinricefarmingfor

example,thehighinputsrequiredduring

plantingandharvestingseasonsaccessto

creditwasessential.Farmersinterviewed

notedthattheMyanmarAgriculturalBank

gavelowinterestloanstofarmers,butthat

amountsgivenwerewellbelowrealcredit

needs.Forexample,onefarmersaid,forthe

wetseasoncropIneed100,000kyatperacre

forfertiliser,hiringofmotorisedploughsand

labourbutIcanonlyget20,000[fromthe

governmentloan].Iftheyrequiredmore

upfrontcapital,farmerswouldneedtoturnto

privatelenderswhereinterestrateswouldbe

uptotentimeshigher(uptotwentypercent

permonth).

Thecombinationoftheseacuteand

longstandingissueshasmeantthatmany

farmingfamilieswithlargeaccumulated

debthavebeenforcedtoselltheirland.As

onefarmersaid,Beforethecyclonehalfthe

families[inourvillage]hadlandforpaddy,

nowonlyaquarterdo.

Evolutionofcommunitygroups,and

PaungKusupport

PaungKubeganitsCycloneNargisrelief

programinMay2008andfocussedon

providingsmallgrantsforreliefand

rehabilitationprojectsdefinedbyvillage

groups.Inall,overthe18monthsfollowing

thecyclone,PaungKusupportedover700of

theseprojects,eachuptoapproximatelyUSD

7,000,ultimatelyreachinghundredsof

thousandsofbeneficiaries.

Whilemanyofthegroupsrespondingtothe

cyclonewereonlyactiveforashortperiod,

othersbecamemoreestablishedand

implementedrepeatedprojectswithintheir

villages.ByAugust2010(twoandhalfyears

aftertheCyclone),severalofthese

community-basedvillagegroupsthathad

beensupportedbyPaungKudecidedto

formaliseintonetworks,whichbecame

knownasZonalCommittees.TheZonal

Committeesweretheformalelectedgroupof

villagegroupleaders,whowouldmeetatthe

townshipleveltohelpplanactivitiesforthe

network,managefundingrequestsand

provideadditionalmentoringandcoaching.

FourZonalCommitteeswereformed,inthe

townshipsofKyaiklat,Mawlamyainggyunand

southernandnorthernBogale.

PaungKussupporttogroupsintheDeltaalso

evolved.Thefirstarearelatedto funding.

PaungKuhadsupportedemergencyresponse

activitiesbycommunities,andasthese

activitiesshiftedtolonger-termdevelopment

projectsandnetworkformation,PaungKu

supportedworkinthesenewareas,including

operationalfundingforthenetworks

supportingtravelcosts,meetingcosts,mobile

phonesfornetworkleadersandhiringofexternalresourcepeople.

Thesecondareawasintraining.Accordingto

needsofdifferentnetworksorgroups,Paung

Kuorganizedprojectcyclemanagement,

bookkeeping,leadership,gender,disasterrisk

reductionaswellastrainingsonnewskills

andissuesidentifiedbythenetworks,

includingorganicfarmingandlandrights.

Thethirdareawasinfacilitatinglinkageswith

externalactors.PaungKufacilitatedcross

visitsofnetworkorvillagegroupstoother

villagesthatweredoinglocaldevelopment

projects.Otherconnectionswerealso

facilitatedwithjournalists,legalexpertsand

otherlocalandinternationalNGOs.

Finally,PaungKuprovidedmentoringtoboth

networkcommitteesandvillagelevelgroups.

Mentoringwasdesignedtoencourage


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reflectionongroupprocessesinorderto

makethembothmoreinclusiveandeffective.

Thecentralideaamongtheleadersofthe

newnetworkswasthatmanyofthelocal

developmentproblemstheyexperiencedin

theirownvillagewerealsopresentinother

villagesintheirarea,andtheanswersto

thoseproblemswereoftencollectivein

nature.Werealisedthattheproblems

werentjustinourvillage,othervillageswere

strugglingwiththesamethings,saidone

farmer.

CycloneNargisMemorialMonumentinBogale

Onekeyissueoffocuswaslandrightsand

livelihoods,andthisledthenetworkstoseek

toinfluencenationalpolicymaking.After

hearingofanewlandbeingdevelopedin

Parliament,thenetworksrequestedPaungKu

introducethemtolegalresourcepeoplethat

couldexplainthelegalenvironmentandthe

potentialimpactsofthenewlaw.

Afteraseriesofworkshops,thenetworks

decidedtodevelopasetofrecommendations

andsupportthemwithapetitionsignedby

overfifteenhundredfarmersfromareas

coveredbythenetworks.Theseweresentto

PresidentTheinSein,SpeakersoftheUpper

andLowerHousesofParliamentandtolocal

membersofParliament.The

recommendationssoughttoaddressthe

issuesoutlinedaboverelatedtoagricultural

loans,landownership,freedomofchoice

relatedtocropsandfairermarketpractices.

3.Developmentof

theNetworksTheprevioussectiondescribedthe

backgroundoftheDeltanetworks,the

influenceoftheCycloneNargisresponseand

theissueoflandrights,andthesupportrole

ofPaungKu.Thissectionlooksatthequestion

ofhowthenetworkshavedevelopedsince

theirformationin2010.

Networkleadersreportedsubstantialchange.

Intermsofscale,42villagegroupswere

involvedatthetimeofformationin2010;by

February2013thishadincreasedto93

groups.

Alongwithscale,membersofthenetwork

alsoreportedchangesincapacity(orswan

saungye),particularlyrelatedtovisionand

strategy.Visionandstrategywasseentohavechangedintwoways,whichcouldbe

characterizedasbothsharpeningandalso

widening.

Ithadsharpenedinthesensethatmembers

ofthenetworkfeltasthoughtheyhavea

muchclearerideaofwhattheyare

collectivelyseekingtochange.Theinitial

formationofthenetworkhadbeengrounded

inadesiretocontributetovillagedevelopment.Andwhiletherewas

recognitionofparticulardevelopment

problems,therehadbeenonlyalimitedsense

ofwhatitmeanttorespondtotheseissues.

Asthenetworkdeveloped,however,

strategiesbecameclearer.Thisismost

obviousinrelationtotheissueoflandrights.

Networkleaderssaidtheyhaddevelopeda

clearpictureofthemacrolevelchangestheyareseekingandhavedeveloped


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perspectivesaboutthenewFarmlandLaw,its

connectionstothe2008Constitutionandits

translationintopolicyattheRegionlevel.We

knewtherewassomethingwrongbutwe

didntknowanythingaboutthelawbefore,

nowwecantellthemwhatwewantto

change,saidonenetworkleader.

Thevisionhasalsowidenedasthenetwork

membershaverecognisedotherperspectives

withincommunities.Attheirformationthe

networkswerefocussedbroadlyonvillage

development,yettherewasanprimary

emphasisonissuesoflandandagriculture.

Overtime,networkmembersrecognisedthat

theviewsofwomen,youngpeopleandfisher

folkwerenotbeingadequatelyrepresented

oraddressed.Thisled,in2012,tothe

formationofwomensassociations,youth

groupsandfisheriesassociationswithinthe

differenttownshipnetworks.Thesenew

groups,alongwithfarmersassociations,

cameunderthestructureofthefourdifferent

ZonalCommittees,whichfunctionedasthe

networksleadership.

Networkmembers(andPaungKumentors)

alsosaidthatthevisionofthenetworkhas

widenedgeographicallyinthesensethatthey

arenowthinkingintermsofregional

developmentissues,ratherthanjustthose

encounteredintheirownindividualvillages.

Itwasliketheywentfromjustthinkingabout

thevillage,tothinkingaboutthistownship,to

thinkingaboutthewholecountry,saidonementor.Inshort,relatedtovisionand

strategy,severalnetworkleaderssaid,our

amyinpwintde(ourperspectivesopened).

Alongwiththesechanges,membersalso

reportedagrowthinconfidence.WhereDelta

communitygroupshadpreviouslybeenafraid

topresentviewsevenatthelocallevel,they

wereabletoexpressopinionsatthenational

level.

Practically,networkleadersalsosaidthat

theirprojectimplementationskillshad

improvedinareasofplanning,budgeting,

bookkeepingandmonitoring.

Andcontributingtoalloftheseabove

changeswasagrowthinthenumberof

externallinkagesthatthenetworkshad.

Whilepreviouslyhavingonlylocallevel

connections,thenetworksnowhavelinkages

tojournalists,legalexperts,documentary

makers,farmersgroupsfromotherregions,

andotherinternationalandlocalNGOssuch

asECODEVandOxfam.Initially,PaungKu

facilitatedtheseconnectionsbutasthe

networkshavegrown,theyareincreasingly

abletoindependentlydrawupontheir

contacts.

Theseconnectionswereallusedintheland

lawadvocacyasthenetworknotonlyformed

andsenttherecommendationstopolicy

makersbutalsosoughttoraisetheprofileof

theissuethroughthemedia.

3.Networks&

AccountabilityTheseDeltanetworkswereabletoformout

ofauniquesetofcircumstancesanddevelop

theirscaleandcapacity.Thissectionexplores

thequestionofhowthenetworksare

importantpoliticallyinMyanmar.

Atabasiclevel,awellfunctioningrelationship

betweencitizensandthestaterequires voice

onthebehalfofcitizensandaresponsiveness

oraccountabilityonbehalfofthestate.To

whatextent,then,hasthisnetworking

affectedeithervoiceorresponsiveness?

Overall,fromtheperspectiveoftheDelta

networkleaderstherewasaperceptionthat

networkinghasincreasedthevoiceofcitizens.Yetwhiletherearesmallobservedchanges


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onthegovernmentside,significantquestions

remainaboutwhetherthereisarealincrease

inresponsiveness.

Increasingcitizenvoice

Intermsofincreasingvoice,thedelta

networkswereseentobeaplatformforthree

differentfunctionsfacilitating

communication,aggregatingcitizenvoices

andsharpeningadvocacymessages.

Ofsurprisingimportancewasthenewability

tocommunicatebetweenvillagegroupsusing

mobilephones.BeforeCycloneNargisthere

hadbeenvirtuallynophoneuseinnetworkvillagesmakingitextremelytimeconsuming

toorganiseorshareinformationbetween

geographicallyseparatedvillages.Yetbyearly

2013allnetworkleadershadmobilephones

andalmostallvillagesinvolvedhaveatleast

onepersonwithaphone.Inthisway,flowof

informationandorganisingpotentialwas

transformedinthepostcycloneperiod.

Thepresenceofthenetworkalsoallowedanewaggregationofcitizenvoices.Thiswas

particularlyapparentinthelandlaw

campaignwhereaidedbynewflowsof

informationalargenumberoffarmers

(almost1500acrossthreetownships)were

abletoaddtheirsignaturestothe

recommendations.

Thenetworkwasalsobetterabletodevelop

advocacymessages.Inthecaseofthelandlawcampaign,thenetworkwasabletoaccess

legalandpolicyexpertisetotakewidespread

grassrootsperspectivesandarticulatethem

asconcretepolicyrecommendations.

Networkleadersalsosaidthatinputoflegal

expertisehadraisedtheircapacitytoanalyse

thelawsandthereforeengagemore

informativelywithpolicymakers.Using

externallinkageswiththeYangon-basedprint

media,meanwhile,thenetworkwasableto

facilitateseveralMyanmarandEnglish

languagejournalarticlesabouttheir

campaign,amplifyingthemessagetobotha

widerpublicaudienceandtogovernment.

Thissharpeningofcitizenvoicesintoforms

thatcouldbepresenteddirectlytopolicy

makerswasalsoseentopresentalternative

platformsforaddressingconflictsthatmight

otherwiseturnviolent.Myanmarhasseena

numberofrecentclashesbetweenpoliceand

protestersoverissuesofland;innearby

MaubinattheendofFebruary2013,for

example,policeresponsetodemonstrations

byfarmersledtoclashesinwhichdozens

wereinjuredandonepoliceofficerwaskilled.

Overall,thenetworkswereseentobe

importantasaplatformwherecitizenvoice

couldbestrengthenedbeyondwhat

individualvillagegroupscouldachieveand

inawaywhichwasnotpossiblethreeyears

ago.

Increasinggovernmentresponsiveness?

Thenetworksroleinincreasinggovernmentresponsivenesstheotherkeydimensionof

accountabilityislessclear,especiallyatthe

nationallevel.

Atthelocalandtownshiplevel,network

leadersreportedthattheauthoritieswerenot

necessarilymoreproactiveinrespondingto

communitysdevelopmentneeds,yetthere

weresomesmallchangesnotedinthe

practiceoflocalgovernance.

Forexample,aPaungKumentorrelateda

storyofavillagememberwantingtochange

thenameonhislandtitleandbeing

requestedbytheofficialtopayabribeof

10,000kyat.Previously,itwasfeltthatthese

kindsofbribeshadtobepaidinorderto

progresstherequest.However,themansaid

thathewouldonlypaythe10,000kyatifhe

wasgivenaformalreceiptwiththenameoftheofficial.Theofficialwithdrewhisdemand


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andchangedthelandtitlenamewithout

receivinganymoney.

Meanwhile,afarmersassociationmember

gavetheexampleoflocalmilitaryrecruiting

meetings.Beforeallfamiliesinthevillage

hadtoattendandtheboyshadtoenlist,said

onefarmer.Nowmostfamiliesrefusetogo.

Mosthouseholdsinthevillagenowrefuseto

attendtherecruitingmeetings,yetdidnot

faceanyrepercussionsfromthemilitaryor

villageauthorities.

Theseexamplesareindividual,andnot

directlyrelatedtothenetworks.Butthedelta

networkswerealsoseentobeimportantin

beingabletoshareinformationabout

changesinthebehaviourandactionsoflocal

governmentacrossdifferentareas,allowing

villagegroupstobettergaugethespacethey

mighthaveandhowfartheycouldpushwith

theirdemands.

Attheregionalandnationallevel,network

leadersexpressedasimilarpicture.There

werefewerrestrictionsappliedandtherewas

moreabilitytocommunicatewith

government.Forexample,afterthelandlaw

recommendationshadbeensubmitted,U

MyatThein,amemberoftheUnionSolidarity

andDevelopmentParty(USDP)andlower

houseHluttawmemberforBogalemetwith

thedeltanetworksleadership,discussedthe

recommendationsandfedbacktheHluttaws

decisionsincludingbothareasofagreement

anddisagreement.

However,whilesomenewinteractionswith

governmentwereseenpositively,suchasU

MyatTheinsmeetingwiththenetwork,

otherswereseennegatively.Forexample,

manyintervieweesexpressedangeratthe

commentsofaMinisterforAgricultureand

IrrigationUMyintHlaingatafarmers

meetinginBatheininFebruary2013,where

hesaidthatinordertopayoffdebtsfarmers

shouldconsidereatingonlyonemealperday.

Ultimately,thenetworkleaderssuggested

thattherewaslittleevidenceyetofincreasing

nationallevelresponsivenesstocitizenneeds.

ThereformoftheFarmlandLawwasakey

exampleofthis,withthefinalapprovedlaw

receivinganegativereactionfromthe

network,aswellascivilsocietyactorsinother

areas.

Atthesametime,thenewFarmlandLawwas

seentocontainsomepositivechangesfor

farmingfamiliesinthatthereisgreater

freedomofchoiceinrelationtocrops,

formalisedrighttosell,pawnandbuyuser

rightsandpotentiallybetterrightsofappeal

againstunfairlandconfiscation.Farmersalso

saidthatagriculturalloanamountshave

increased,thoughnotenoughtomeetneeds

fully.However,formallandownership

remainswiththestate(asstipulatedinthe

2008Constitution)andtherewaslittle

progressinformalisingfairermarketrules

(especiallytodowithmeasurementofrice).

Overall,therewaslittlechangebetweenthe

FarmlandLawdraftstageandthefinalLaw

approvedbyParliamentmeaningthatcivil

societyadvocacyeffortsincludingfromthe

Deltanetworkslikelyhadonlylimited

impact.

Theexampleofthedeltanetworksis

importantbecauseitdemonstratesnewways

inwhichcitizenvoicesarebeingsharpened

andaggregatedinamannerthatwouldnot

havebeenpossiblethreeyearsago.

Authoritiesatalllevelsareseentobeless

likelytosuppressopinionandaremoreopen

todialogueaboutissues.However,while

therehavebeensomechangesnotedin

governmentpracticeatthevillageand

townshiplevel,therestillremainslittleoverall

evidenceofincreasinggovernmentresponsivenesstoexpressedcommunity


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needs.Inotherwords,whilesomeaspectsof

citizen-stateinteractionhavechanged,the

extentoftheimpactisnotyetclear.

LoadinggoodsinBogale

4.ExternalSupport

Networkmembersthemselvesandoutside

observersreportedthattherehadbeen

substantialcapacitychangeinthenetworks

sincetheirformationrelatedtovision,

linkages,confidenceandscaleandthatthis

helpedincreasecitizenvoice.

Towhatextent(ifatall)didthesupportof

PaungKuandotheragenciescontributeto

thenetworkscapacitydevelopment?How

didnetworkmembersperceivetheroleof

PaungKu,anditsimpactonthegrowthofthe

networks?Andwhatchallengesarethere

ahead?

PerceivedImpactofExternalSupport

NetworkleadersreportedthatPaungKu

influencedthenetworksinfourkeyways.

First,mostleadersexpressedthatPaungKus

facilitationoflinkageswasimportant.Cross

visitsandintervillagemeetingsthrough2009

and2010wascriticaltobuildingthe

momentumtoformthenetworks.Andthe

linkstomediaandlegalexpertisewereseen

tobecrucialinthelandlawadvocacy.The

impetustoformthenetworkscamefromthe

communitygroups,butitwasfeltthat

withoutthisactivefacilitationtherewould

nothavebeensufficientdrivetoestablishand

developthenetworks.

Second,PaungKusbasicoperationalsupport

subsidisingtravel,meetingcostsandmobile

phoneswasseentobecriticaltoallowinga

greaterintensityofnetworking.Themajority

ofnetworkmembersandleadersarefrom

villagesthatremaincriticallypoor,having

neverrecoveredtopre-Nargislevelsof

development.Travelcostsarealot,itwould

behardtoorganisethingsifwepaid

everythingourselves,saidoneleader.Small

scaleexternalfundingtoallowmore

communicationandinterconnectionwasseen

tobenecessary.

Third,theexternalinfluenceofPaungKuand

otherNGOssuchasOxfamwereseento

encouragethenetworkstobemoreinclusive

especiallyinrelationtoparticipationof

women.TheZonalCommittees,whichlead

thefourdifferentnetworks,havealwaysbeen

entirelycomposedofmen.Yetthenetworks

normswereseentobechanging.Werealised

itisnotgoodforonlymentobeinthe

committee,saidonenetworkleader.Andthis

hasledtotheformationofwomens

associationsinthedifferentareas,withthe

primarygoalofsupportingagreaterrolefor

womenbothinthenetworksandinlocal

government.PaungKu(andotherNGOs)particularlythroughtrainingandmentoring

wereseentobeinfluentialinsupportingthis

shift.

Finally,thebackboneofPaungKussupportin

theDeltasmallgrantsforlocaldevelopment

projectswasseentobothcreatethe

auspicesforinitialengagementand

connectionsbetweengroups,aswellas

stimulatethewidercommunitytrustandsupportthatthenetworksrelyon.Network


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leadersreportedthatwithouttangible

developmentgainsthroughgrassroots

projectsitwouldbedifficulttomotivate

communitiestoengageindiscussionsabout

otherissues,includingwiderlegalorpolicy

change.Inthisway,grassrootsdevelopment

projectsandpolicyadvocacywereseentobe

indivisible,andnetworkleaderswarned

againstPaungKushiftingmoreclearlyintoa

purepolicyrole.

Crucially,networkleadersalsoreflectedthat

whilePaungKuhadbeenengagedinvarious

ways,PaungKustaffhadnotsoughtto

controlthenetwork.Decisionstoformthe

networks,andtheissuestheyworkon,

occurredinconversationwithPaungKu.But

networkleadersthemselvesrepeatedly

expressedthattheywerefirmlyinthe

driversseatofthenetworks.

Overall,theabilityofPaungKuandother

agenciestoallowtheirsupporttoevolve

flexiblyaccordingtogroupandnetworkneeds

wascritical.Throughouttheperiodof

engagementPaungKusworkstretched

acrossanumberoffields,oftenoccurring

simultaneouslyfromsupportingrelief

activities,tolocalcommunitydevelopment

projects,toregionalnetworking,tomedia

activityandfinallytonationallevelpolicy

advocacy.Ifconfinedtoonesectorortoone

specificpredeterminedprojectplan,thiskind

offlexiblesupportwouldnothavebeen

possible.

On-goingChallenges

DevelopmentoftheDeltanetworksandtheir

newnationallevelpolicyengagementisan

exampleofimportantnewtrendsin

Myanmarscitizen-staterelationship.

However,despitecleargrowthintheir

capacity,significantquestionsremainforthe

DeltanetworksandtheroleofPaungKu.

First,thesocialconnectednessstimulatedby

theNargisresponsewasbynaturedynamic

andflexible.Thisallowedgroupstoworkona

varietyofcomplexissues,andexplorenew

waystoorganisethemselvesandengagewith

stateauthorities.Asthedeltanetworks

becomemoreinstitutionalisedwith

governingzonalcommitteesandfoursub

groups(womens,farmers,fisheriesand

youthgroups)willitbeabletomaintainthe

dynamismthatwassoobviousfollowing

Nargis?

Second,increasingwomensleadershipwithin

thenetworkremainsachallenge.Towhat

extentwillthenewwomensassociations

createaladderfornewwomenleaders,or

willtheybeameansfortheZonal

Committeestooutsourcegenderandnot

addresskeyissueofinequalityofpower?

Third,whileoperationalfundingandsupport

forgrassrootsdevelopmentprojectshas

clearlybeenimportant,howlongwillthis

leveloffundingneedtobemaintained?Will

longtermoperationalfundingunderminethe

dynamismofinteractionwhichhasbeenseen

inthelastfewyears,orisitanecessarypart

ofsupportingnetworkinginresourcepoor

ruralareas?

Overall,inordertobetterunderstandthe

relationshipbetweenPaungKu(andother)

externalsupport,networkcapacitychange

andwidercommunitychange,further

researchisneeded.Inparticular,further

researchneedstoexplorewhatchangesthere

havebeenindeltavillagesthatwerenot

engagedwithPaungKuandthenetworks,yet

stillfacesimilarconditions.Inthiswayitmay

bepossibletodifferentiatemoreclearly

betweenwidersocialchangeintheDelta,and

theparticularchangesinvillageswithinthe

network.


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5.Conclusion

Newgrassrootsnetworksareanimportant

featureofthewaypoliticsischangingin

Myanmar.Therehavebeensubstantial

changesinscope,scaleandcapacityofthe

deltatownshipnetworkssincetheirformation

in2010.Thesehavecreatedanewplatform

forbothaddressingshareddevelopment

needsandseekingtostrengthen

accountability.

TheZonalCommitteesimpactonpolicy

makingandregionaldevelopmentoutcomes

isstilltobedetermined.Andtheywillevolve

overtimetheymayevendissolvebut,

mostimportantly,thesenewrelationships

andideasappeartohaveshiftedthewaythat

thesecivilsocietyactorsareoperatingand

envisioningthechangestheyseektomake.

Theseconnectionsandnewwaysofthinking

andorganizingarenotlikelytodisappear,and

theyareastrongplatformforthefuture.

Experiencesfromthedeltanetworksalso

indicatethatexternalagenciesmaybeableto

supporttheirdevelopment.Yettheyalsohold

twokeylessonsforexternalagencies

interestedinsupportingsuchgrowth.

First,networkingisbestsupportedby

workingwiththemomentumofthewider

socialcontextinthiscasechanges

stimulatedbytheresponsetobothCyclone

Nargisandlandrights.Withoutsupporting

activitythatalignedwithandbuiltupon

theseparticularcircumstances,thegrowthin

thenetworksmaynothavebeenpossible.

Second,thefluidnatureofgrassroots

networkingmeansthatstandardproject

responseswillnotbeappropriate.

Predeterminedplansoraspecificsectorfocus

doesnotallowfortheflexibilitywhichis

requiredinordertorespondtotheneedsof

networksatdifferentstages.Wheresupport

totheDeltanetworkswaseffectiveitwas

throughPaungKuandotheragencieslong

termwillingnesstoworkacrosssectorsbased

notonfixedplans,butontheissuesthat

alignedwiththecommunitygroupsand

networkschangingvisions.

Ratherthanattemptingtogrownetworks,

then,thiscasestudysuggeststhatexternal

organisationsarebestplacedtoidentify

wheresocialshiftsandmovementsare

alreadyoccurringandengageflexiblyinaway

thatcanhelptobroadenvisionandincrease

inclusivity.


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growing networks: supporting networks in myanmar

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