The 2014 Nurture Group Initiative is a grassroots community development project designed to enhance provision of life-skills development and psychosocial support for approximately 100 children living at the Andrew Youth Development Centre (AYDC) in Yangon, Myanmar. The initiative involves equipping volunteer university students and high-school graduates with skills to facilitate weekly Nurture Groups with younger children in their community. A Project Overview and Facilitators' Training Manual is currently being developed to act as resource for face-to-face training with the facilitators in early 2015.

The current ratio of full-time staff member to child/youth resident at AYDC is approximately 1:20. Consequently, staff members have reported that the majority of working hours are spent completing necessary housekeeping and practical chores, leaving limited time to invest in individual development and the less tangible psychosocial needs of the youth residents. As well as providing individual support for the youth participants, the key objectives of the initiative include the development of the following at AYDC: homework support systems, two way communication system between residents and staff, conflict resolution strategy, life-skills checklist and a Market Day where the groups organise and produce a market stall showing them that they can work together to be innovative, creative problem-solvers and move towards achievable goals.

The overall aim of the initiative is to become self-sustainable for the AYDC community. Katie Chown, Perth- based Occupational Therapist has been the driving force behind the initial start-up and now aims to take on a supportive role in the Initiative as Nancy Shwe, Burmese local and Nurture Group Co-ordinator becomes independent in her role.

In order to optimise the therapeutic outcomes of the Nurture Groups for the children and youth at AYDC, funds are required in the first instance for the following:

-   proposed Facilitators' Training Manual to be translated into Burmese language and contextualised culturally 

-   associated face-to-face facilitator training which will be delivered by Nancy Shwe with support from Katie Chown 

-   official hand-over of the project to all local stakeholders

In order to ensure self-sustainability and longevity of the overall project within the AYDC community into the future, inherent challenges are to be met in the following way:

-   Myanmar Vision International and MyKids Australia Inc. will assume an advisory role for accountability of programme implementation

-   Nancy Shwe to undergo regular training and supervision, in consultation with Katie Chown and local Burmese Occupational Therapist, Eh Moo, who resides in Yangon

-   Bi-annual review and evaluation of ongoing Nurture Group Initiative by Nancy Shwe in partnership with advisory bodies