Metta Development Foundation (Yangon Office)

More than forty years of internal conflicts have had a devastating impact on the peoples of Myanmar. Many communities suffered displacement, loss of life, property and livelihood. A new era of challenge in the country’s troubled history was ushered in when ceasefire agreements were reached between the government and the majority of armed ethnic groups. This backdrop of peace means that it is now possible to reach out to communities in strife torn areas and initiate a development process that would help them evolve into stable, self-reliant societies within the Union.

It is with the specific aim of assisting these communities in distress that the Metta Development Foundation was established in 1998 as a non-governmental organization. Metta’s assistance, initially among the Kachins in the far north, will be extended to other regions of Myanmar, regardless of ethnic origin or religious orientation.

Metta’s main objectives are to:

• create a framework for self-help initiatives
• support sustainable community-based projects
• facilitate skills training
• establish partnerships with like-minded organisations or individuals

The driving force behind Metta is the concept that the very word embodies – that of loving kindness.