Witman Panel In December, Shanta’s Global Program Manager, Khai, was invited to participate with a team to teach a one-week intensive class at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. Joining Anna Taft, Executive Director of Tandana Foundation, and Madjalia Seynou, Executive Director of Farm Sahel, the team gave students an opportunity to learn concretely how [...]
Until just a few years ago, Nan Khan Raim never imagined herself sitting in a village meeting, let alone speaking up, managing funds, or helping guide major community projects. At 33, she juggles life as a farmer, a wife, and a mother of three in Ham Phoe Pay village. Her family grows corn, pigeon peas, [...]
Nestled in the quiet hills of Taunggyi Township, Ham Phoe Pay Village is home to about 500 people across 100 households. Life here revolves around the farming of corn, rice, and beans, as well as the production of mustard seed oil. While the village’s hardworking spirit is evident, education has long struggled to take root. [...]
Building local capacity is one of the foundational concepts in Shanta Village Partners’ six-year Village Partnership Model. It reflects our belief that lasting change happens when communities gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead their own development. From the beginning, our goal has been to ensure that villagers, not outside organizations, are [...]
Team Member Spotlight Khun Aung Sein, Project Manager My name is Khun Aung Sein, and I was born into an agricultural family in Naree Village, Taunggyi Township. The youngest of four siblings, I completed my early education locally and earned a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science from Mawlamyine University in 2010. Shortly after graduation, [...]
As one of the most beloved figures in Shanta Village Partners’ history, Po Ja’s compassion, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to his community shaped the very foundation of our work. In this remembrance, co-founders, Tricia and Mike Karpfen share reflections on Po Ja’s life and legacy: a legacy that continues to guide and inspire [...]
Our partnership villages in Zambia launched the Women Action Group (WAG) initiative, a program adapted from Shanta’s long-running Women’s Group Discussion model in Myanmar (active since 2010). Shanta’s Global Program Manager, Khai, first trained our Zambian staff in May 2025, who then equipped 16 local women leaders to begin facilitating the program. The response was [...]
From Doubt to Confidence: U Bau’s Journey with School Accounting When Kan Lone village set out to build a new school, excitement was tangible, but so was the pressure of managing the project’s finances. For U Bau, a 53-year-old farmer of pigeon peas, rice, and groundnuts, the role of treasurer felt overwhelming at first. “I [...]
Team Member Spotlight Lamba Fikoloma, M & E Officer with People’s Action Forum Meet Lamba! He joined Shanta/PAF earlier in 2025 as our Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. He works closely with Khai, Shanta’s Global Program Manager, as well as Janet, Zambia’s Program Manager, to ensure proper tracking, assessment, and evaluation of programs in Zambia. We [...]
At Shanta Village Partners, we believe the most lasting change comes from within the community itself. That’s why our work is shaped by six guiding principles that center dignity, local leadership, and long-term impact. Community-Led Development We don’t prescribe solutions, we partner with villages to realize their vision. Community members lead every step of the [...]
Witman Panel In December, Shanta’s Global Program Manager, Khai, was invited to participate with a team to teach a one-week intensive class at Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. Joining Anna Taft, Executive Director of Tandana Foundation, and Madjalia Seynou, Executive Director of Farm Sahel, the team gave students an opportunity to learn concretely how [...] 
Until just a few years ago, Nan Khan Raim never imagined herself sitting in a village meeting, let alone speaking up, managing funds, or helping guide major community projects. At 33, she juggles life as a farmer, a wife, and a mother of three in Ham Phoe Pay village. Her family grows corn, pigeon peas, [...] 
Nestled in the quiet hills of Taunggyi Township, Ham Phoe Pay Village is home to about 500 people across 100 households. Life here revolves around the farming of corn, rice, and beans, as well as the production of mustard seed oil. While the village’s hardworking spirit is evident, education has long struggled to take root. [...] 
Building local capacity is one of the foundational concepts in Shanta Village Partners’ six-year Village Partnership Model. It reflects our belief that lasting change happens when communities gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead their own development. From the beginning, our goal has been to ensure that villagers, not outside organizations, are [...] 
Team Member Spotlight Khun Aung Sein, Project Manager My name is Khun Aung Sein, and I was born into an agricultural family in Naree Village, Taunggyi Township. The youngest of four siblings, I completed my early education locally and earned a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science from Mawlamyine University in 2010. Shortly after graduation, [...] 
As one of the most beloved figures in Shanta Village Partners’ history, Po Ja’s compassion, wisdom, and unwavering commitment to his community shaped the very foundation of our work. In this remembrance, co-founders, Tricia and Mike Karpfen share reflections on Po Ja’s life and legacy: a legacy that continues to guide and inspire [...] 
Our partnership villages in Zambia launched the Women Action Group (WAG) initiative, a program adapted from Shanta’s long-running Women’s Group Discussion model in Myanmar (active since 2010). Shanta’s Global Program Manager, Khai, first trained our Zambian staff in May 2025, who then equipped 16 local women leaders to begin facilitating the program. The response was [...] 
From Doubt to Confidence: U Bau’s Journey with School Accounting When Kan Lone village set out to build a new school, excitement was tangible, but so was the pressure of managing the project’s finances. For U Bau, a 53-year-old farmer of pigeon peas, rice, and groundnuts, the role of treasurer felt overwhelming at first. “I [...] 
Team Member Spotlight Lamba Fikoloma, M & E Officer with People’s Action Forum Meet Lamba! He joined Shanta/PAF earlier in 2025 as our Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. He works closely with Khai, Shanta’s Global Program Manager, as well as Janet, Zambia’s Program Manager, to ensure proper tracking, assessment, and evaluation of programs in Zambia. We [...] 
At Shanta Village Partners, we believe the most lasting change comes from within the community itself. That’s why our work is shaped by six guiding principles that center dignity, local leadership, and long-term impact. Community-Led Development We don’t prescribe solutions, we partner with villages to realize their vision. Community members lead every step of the [...]