Shanta Foundation works in collaboration with small villages in Myanmar (formerly Burma) to enhance their basic quality of life. Our work focuses on community-driven development by partnering with villages to improve their education, health, and economic opportunities. We place a high priority on sustainability, both in terms of environmental considerations as well as providing training and skills to enable villages to maintain and continue their own progress. Shanta currently collaborates with eight villages to identify their development priorities and create and implement projects to improve life throughout the community. Based on their self-identified priorities, Shanta supports programming in the following areas: • Educating Children and Empowering Teachers: constructing preschool, primary and middle schools and providing teacher training that focuses on experiential learning; co-sponsoring high school and university students through scholarships to further their education. • Rural Health Care and Safe Motherhood: creating affordable and accessible healthcare for villagers through our local healthcare worker model • Increasing Economic Opportunities: establishing village-run loan funds to promote local business growth and economic development. • Clean Water, Lighting & Renewable Energy: Safeguarding and improving accessibility of water sources and providing solar lighting for homes.