NCDDP utilizes a community-centric approach that empowers villagers to manage and participate in their own development to drive positive change across poor, rural communities in Myanmar. The key aims of this Project are to provide poor rural communities of Myanmar with improved access to basic infrastructure and services and to enhance the government’s capacity to respond swiftly and effectively in times of crisis or emergency.

The Project works in 63 of Myanmar’s 330 townships. Cardno has employed a team of 667 staff to drive implementation in 12 townships across six states and regions: Magway Region (Sidoktaya, Mindon, Saw, Tilin and Pauk); Chin State (Paletwa); Bago Region (Kyawkkyi and Monyo); Yangon Region (Kawhmu); and Kayin State (Kyainseikgyi).

NCDDP’s activities focus on strengthening the most vulnerable communities, including in areas affected by conflict, through the promotion of community-driven development, improved access to essential services, promoting small infrastructure projects, and driving gender and social inclusion in community leadership. These activities work to create resilient communities in the face of future shocks, empowering them to participate more in Myanmar's democratic transition and national reconciliation efforts.

Through the Community and Technical facilitators, Cardno supports the approval, procurement, construction and maintenance of small-scale sub-projects; ensure transparent management of funds; and ensure proper accountability through the establishment and use of grievance handling mechanism and annual audits. The project builds the capacity of communities of how to discuss and agree their priorities, articulate this demand, and hold government to account for delivering agreed services.

Cardno is assisting DRD Offices in the planning, implementation and monitoring of project activities in line with project implementation guidelines. This includes providing institutional support, capacity development and technical assistance to the township DRD office to deliver services that respond directly to community identified needs, resulting in widespread community satisfaction with the project, and greatly improved perception of government.

To date, Cardno has:

• Facilitated $33.6 million in funding from DRD to the communities by building their capacity to pan, prioritize, implement, monitor and maintain basic infrastructure projects
• Recruited and trained over 72 Township Technical Assistance staff to assist the DRD team in the planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of project activities
• Recruited and trained an estimated 370 community facilitators (CFs) to help villages and village tracts prepare plans that capture community-identified development priorities
• Recruited and trained an estimated 225 technical facilitators (TFs) to assist village-level committees in sub-project technical design, cost estimation, social safeguards implementation, and construction management and supervision
• Worked with CFs, TFs, and township Technical Assistance Teams to support the approval, procurement, construction and maintenance of 3,172 small-scale infrastructure sub-projects in 2,096 villages (and counting), including roads, schools, irrigation, bridges, community centers, electrification, and other projects. A total of 1,097,424 beneficiaries utilize this infrastructure
• Recruited and trained 3,493 project volunteers and trained them in procurement, finance, M&E, operations and maintenance, and other concerns, which they have then put to use executing the project
• Established a grievance handling mechanism and social audits to ensure transparent management of project funds and project accountability and successfully handled over 4,000 grievances.

https://www.cardno.com/projects/national-community-driven-development-project-ncddp/