Working Together Beyond financial support, these groups create a space for learning and connection. Women share ideas about health, livelihoods, leadership, and family well-being, often discussing topics that rarely have space elsewhere. Over time, these conversations help women grow in confidence and strengthen their ability to make decisions for themselves and their households. The ripple [...]
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 [...]
Transformative Capacity Transformative capacity means having the ability to affect systemic change or create a positive enabling environment for people to work together to invest and innovate while actively managing risks. If village flooding is made worse because of upstream conditions outside of the villagers’ control, transformative capacity can be realized if they are able to get the government and other stakeholders to act to [...]
Visit this link to read more about the impact of U Maung Boat's new business, as well as view the rest of our November Newsletter, which also contains pictures from our recent Zambia expansion trip. November Newsletter
Working Together Beyond financial support, these groups create a space for learning and connection. Women share ideas about health, livelihoods, leadership, and family well-being, often discussing topics that rarely have space elsewhere. Over time, these conversations help women grow in confidence and strengthen their ability to make decisions for themselves and their households. The ripple [...] 
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 [...] 
Transformative Capacity Transformative capacity means having the ability to affect systemic change or create a positive enabling environment for people to work together to invest and innovate while actively managing risks. If village flooding is made worse because of upstream conditions outside of the villagers’ control, transformative capacity can be realized if they are able to get the government and other stakeholders to act to [...] 
Visit this link to read more about the impact of U Maung Boat's new business, as well as view the rest of our November Newsletter, which also contains pictures from our recent Zambia expansion trip. November Newsletter