Why Advance Myanmar exists
The people of Myanmar have shown extraordinary courage and resilience in the face of ongoing conflict and injustice.
Advance Myanmar exists to support those working for democracy, freedom and human rights by connecting generous supporters with trusted local organisations delivering lasting change.
We believe meaningful progress happens when communities have the resources, trust and freedom to shape their own future.
Our story
Our team saw how civil society organisations in Myanmar doing incredible life-saving work were not receiving the support from donors that they needed.
Advance Myanmar was created to change that.
With staff who are from Myanmar and who have worked on Myanmar for decades, we know which organisations are making a difference on the ground.
- Local organisations are the experts. They know what they need. They work much more cost effectively than many large international NGOs implementing their own projects.
- We support communities in remote and conflict affected areas which struggle to get support from other sources.
- We don’t go to communities saying we want to do X, Y or Z. Instead, we ask them, what do you need? Using our skills and resources, how can we help you bring about the change and progress you are trying to achieve?
- We won’t put unnecessary reporting burdens on organisations. We cut the bureaucracy and let them get on with the job.
- We provide ‘whole organisation’ support. For a project to be successful, the implementing organisation needs the right equipment, technology and administrative systems. We provide that.
- We move quickly when the need is great. In emergency situations we can have money on the ground saving lives within hours, rather than days, weeks or months.
- We maximise our impact by supporting organisations and communities who receive little or no support from larger donors.
Working directly with local community organisations reduces costs on administration ensuring more aid reaches the communities. In addition, by working with and supporting local community organisations, we help empower communities to address their own problems rather than being passive recipients of aid. Affected communities are best placed to ensure help goes where it is most needed and will have the most impact.
By working in close partnership with grassroots groups, they also feed into our work. We operate an instant evaluation approach learning in real-time the most effective ways to provide support and learn lessons.
Our team
Executive Director Anna Roberts has over 25 years’ experience working on advocacy for human rights, including over 20 years at Burma Campaign UK. She worked for Amnesty International for 7 years as a campaign coordinator and trainer. She has also worked as an English language teacher in Europe and Latin America. She has assisted activists from Myanmar in establishing organisations working on human rights, humanitarian and development issues and in setting up administrative and financial systems, website and communications for civil society organisations in and from Myanmar.
Director Mark Farmaner has over 35 years’ experience in advocacy and research on human rights and development. He was involved in the anti-Apartheid campaign, worked for development agency Christian Aid for 7 years, and has over 20 years’ experience working on Myanmar at Burma Campaign UK. He has worked closely with civil society organisations and activists from Myanmar providing training and support. For the past ten years Mark has also been on the board of the Phan Foundation, which provides funding to grassroots community organisations in and from Myanmar.
Programme Director Zoya Phan became one of the highest profile and experienced exiled democracy activists from Myanmar, travelling to more than twenty countries to meet Presidents, Prime Ministers and speak in Parliaments and at conferences. She was one of the first people from Myanmar to be honoured as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and to be given TED fellowship. At Burma Campaign UK, she has worked closely with grassroots organisations from Myanmar and trained many activists in the UK. With family members she founded the Phan Foundation to help fund community groups in Myanmar. She has also written an autobiography, Little Daughter, (titled Undaunted in the USA), which has been published worldwide.
Grants and Project Manager Karin Valtersson has worked on human rights and democracy in Myanmar since 2010. She is responsible for raising income from trust and foundations, and works closely with Advance Myanmar’s implementing partners on the ground in Myanmar. She previously served as a trustee on the board of the Swedish Burma Committee for over ten years.
Amy Rosenberg is our Fundraising Officer since completing her master’s at the London School of Economics and Political Science in Human Rights, writing a dissertation on the sexual and gender-based violence in the Rohingya genocide. Before joining us, she volunteered for a number of human rights and development organisations including Oxfam Ireland.
Contact Us
Email: info@advancemyanmar.org
Letter: Advance Myanmar, 110 The Bon Marche Centre, 241-251 Ferndale Road, London, SW9 8BJ
Phone: 020 3095 1991
Advance Myanmar is a registered charity, no. 1139662.
View our full financial history on the Charity Commission website.
Our sister organisation, Burma Campaign UK, campaigns for human rights and democracy in Myanmar, working closely with human rights activists in the country and in exile to make sure their voices are heard and mobilising support for international action.
Advance Myanmar, a UK-registered charity, provides funding and practical support to grassroots organisations in Myanmar tackling humanitarian and human rights crises and working to address the underlying causes of the human rights crisis.