Braving the rains on the 16th May, fifty two people from 88 Generation Peace and Open Society gathered in an eastern suburb of Yangon for a workshop on the launch of the main census results. They came from all over the country: Kawthaung in the South, Sittwe in Western Rakhine State, Hpakhant in Northern Kachin State, Lashio in North Eastern Shan State and Thazi in Central Myanmar. They had one thing in common; they represented the people of Myanmar.
The aim of the training, organised by UNFPA, was to raise awareness about the census and the potential impact the information released on 29th May 2015 will have for the future development of Myanmar. The group learned about the entire census process; from the counting of the population, analysis of the data to what information will be released in the main results. Sharing this information clarified concerns and questions that individuals had about the census.
One participant said: “Before the training, I was not very interested in the census because I did not understand what it was about. I thought it was just for the government. Now I know that this information is for the people too”. This person expressed regret that people had not known this prior to the census. A leading 88 Generation member from Yangon agreed: “The census shows we need the population’s participation and cooperation in order to plan development. We can use the census data so that people can actively participate in the nation’s issues.”
A UNFPA facilitator of the training said: “The census shows where we are at this point of time”. She continued that the government could plan development for the years ahead. She also stressed that all information collected during the counting of the population was confidential. She concluded: “It’s the citizens’ census, not the government’s alone”.
