New resource centres will help understanding of poverty and hunger

02 July 2015
New resource centres will help understanding of poverty and hunger
Photo: Hong Sar/Mizzima

A resource centre, which will help government staff learn how to collect and analyse data, has opened in Kyaukse Township, Mandalay Region according to a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) media release on 1 July.
The centre is equipped with computers, printers, analytical software, global positioning system (GPS) devices and other resources supplied by WFP. WFP is also providing training regimen to train staff from the Department of Rural Development in areas such as survey design, data collection and data analysis.
Reliable evidence-based data and information is critical in making decisions for effective programming, for fighting poverty and hunger, reducing food insecurity and fostering rural development. For this purpose, WFP and the Department of Rural Development signed a Letter of Agreement in 2014 that stipulates the establishment of resource centres across the country.
WFP says it hopes this will lead to better programming and assistance for those in need of food.
“The newly launched resource centre is expected to become a domain for networking and information exchange among the Department of Rural Development and local organizations, pursuing the shared objective of poverty reduction and rural development,” said Daw Mya Thin Wai, WFP Programme Assistant during her opening remark. “The centre will host numerous workshops and learning events, generating high level benefits for the local population.”
WFP has established several similar resource centres across the country. The resource centre in Kyaukse, the third of its kind to be opened in the country, follows the opening of similar centre in Chin State and Magway Region in 2013 and 2014 respectively. WFP and the Government will open five additional centres in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan States.
WFP is the world’s largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 75 countries.