Project Report
| Feb 4, 2025
Moving Right Along
By Margery Poitras | Development Coordinator
![Training on soybean production]()
Training on soybean production
Two pilot villages in Myanmar are ready to launch the new livelihood program this March. If successful, second year partnership villages will be eligible. The program begins with the formation of a farmer group (this if often already established) who will train for 6-months on leadership skills before introducing the newly fined livelihood options. These include husbandry, agriculture, and sustainable farming practices. A fund will be created that will help support the members. We look forward to seeing how the program is received. We are confident it will be more efficient. If so, this program will expand to other villages as well as our partner villages in Zambia.
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Field day training
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Oct 6, 2024
New Project!
By Margery Poitras | Development Coordinator
![Ginger Farming Success]()
Ginger Farming Success
In 2025, Shanta is launching a new livelihood project. Well, it is not really new, just reformatted. We are creating an "umbrella" project called Livelihood Program Innovation. It will provide skills for improving livelihood through various different projects like pig farming and other livestock, as well as agricultural projects like ginger, soybeans, corn, and others. In the past, there have been separate projects with their own committees for EACH project area. The new program will teach the skills needed to do any of the farming projects but require just one committee in each village to oversee it. The concepts are the same for each project- leadership, market research, bookkeeping, monitoring, and evaluating. This will allow Shanta staff to focus more time on one committee that will oversee as many different projects as the village decides to take on.
Our partnership villages in Zambia will be implementing livelihood projects in the new year, too. Stay tuned for updates on progress in 2025 as the Livelihood Program Innovation takes shape! We rely on your donations to make all this happen- thank you for supporting us!
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Jun 20, 2024
2023 Pig Farming Report
By Margery Poitras | Development Coordinator
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Shanta Foundation implemented 19 different projects with our partner villages in Myanmar in 2023. Pig Farming is just one of these projects. Our Project Officers there provided us with a detailed report on all active programs in 2023. The pig farming report is not solely focused on women, but I want to share the results with you as it has been a tremendously impactful program for its participants.
Keep in mind that these villages have a population of around 500 residents with an average individual annual income of less than $1,000/year. In 2023:
- The pig farming project assisted 51 pig farmers in two villages in Southern Shan State, reaching 41% of the families in each participating village.
- The overall project gross revenue was $36,727, with a net profit of $13,203.
- Five farmers are now able to breed pigs on a large scale and collectively earn $14,946 in gross revenue, which results in an average net profit of $1,320 per farmer. Those farmers follow the development of farmer-friendly business plans, raise both breeding and fattening pigs, and farmers comply with a systematic breeding method.
- Pig farmer committees are very consequential. They organize all the farmers and provide basic vet care and peer support. When the project staff's supervision is limited due to security concerns (like military checkpoints making it difficult to visit a village), the organizing skills of pig farm committees become critical.
You can read more about other programs implemented by Shanta Foundation in Myanmar and Zambia on our website or contact us. We love talking about the work!
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