IRD Activities

• Advocacy for Peace and Interaction with Peace Builder

  The project will operate two separate “training of trainers”, one in Mandalay and one in Yangon where the central theme will be interfaith education. These trainees will commit to taking back lessons learnt and educating their own communities of teachers and local leaders on how to teach this curriculum, who will then implement interfaith education practices in their schools. This project aims to reduce violence and hate crimes that are based in racism and religious prejudices in Myanmar. The project will achieve this goal by promoting the implementation of interfaith education and dialogue and lessons on tolerance in religious (Monastic and Madrassa) schools

• Interfaith Youth Services

  The Interfaith Youth Service project will build off of SEDF’s successful Interfaith Youth Tour. The Youth Tour, which brought youth to different faith spaces to speak to religious leaders for one day of education and exploration, was the first step in SEDF’s goal of interfaith and intrafaith cooperation. While Interfaith Youth Tour was the introduction, the Interfaith Youth Service project aims to build relationships between youth and different religious communities. The project would ask Youth Tour alumni, as well as other similarly-qualified participants, to commit to 4 weekends. Each weekend the youth would visit and conduct a service project for a different religious institution’s humanitarian goal. Additionally, Youth Tour alumni will be encouraged to submit mini-project proposals that promote interfaith harmony to build on previous knowledge and relationships. This will amplify the impact of both Interfaith Tour and Interfaith Youth Service and help build a strong alumni network for the full program

• Interfaith Youth Tour

  In 2014, the interfaith youth tour enjoyed its pilot year in 7 different cities of Myanmar which are Yangon, Bago, Pyay, Mandalay, Mawlamyine, Taunggyi, Lashio. Youth participants from Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Sikh faiths visited more than 40 religious sites and engaged with more than 60 faiths leaders’. The interfaith youth tour convened these youths with the goal of advancing their knowledge of different through interaction with faith spaces, faith leaders and peer participants

• Faith Space

  This multimedia project explores the interfaith harmonies within the uniquely Burmese melting pot. It documents with photos, text and video the stories of faith worship and interfaith tolerance in downtown Yangon in order to generate public discussion and build greater understanding and to foster harmony among diverse communities. This project celebrates the intimate, individual experiences of faith and worship, seeking to identify and pose questions that signpost the universal spiritual journey. These are questions of identity and belonging - senses of meaning and purpose. Interpersonal relations are observed as open, inclusive, caring, tolerant of difference and respectful of human rights. This goes to the heart of notions of multiculturalism and assimilation, sculpting the shape of society. Promoting interfaith awareness and understanding, documenting rather than advocating, the project is ultimately a testament to the nature of co-existence and collaboration, and is a peace-building initiative

• Public Forum on Buddhism and Muslim Harmony

  SEDF was included as part of an organization for celebrating the event Harmony between Buddhism and Muslim. The event’s discussion was about how to build harmony between the Buddhist and Muslim Faiths in Myanmar. The people who came to the event also participated by sharing their thoughts and feelings resulting in dialogue

• The Beauty of Religious Diversity - Youth for Religious Harmony

  In June 2015, Smile hosted an Interfaith Youth Conference, where youth were able to share ideas about community issues pertaining to religion and develop advocacy projects to support religious freedom. From this effort, IYC youth participants developed Youth For Religious Harmony, an art exhibition and awareness campaign supporting interreligious cooperation. The project launched with a youth art exhibition entitled In Search of Peace: The Beauty of Religious Diversity. Youth from around the country were able to express their views on religious diversity and harmony through original artwork. The exhibition toured around four faith spaces in Yangon, including Damapiya Monastery, St. Mary’s Cathedral, 59th Street Mosque and MaharShiwa Hindu Temple. Viewers of these exhibitions voted on their favorite piece of artwork, and the winning piecewas transformed into a nationwide awareness campaign. Participants from the interfaith youth conference served as ambassadors of the campaign in their various communities, posting campaign flyers and stickers. The campaign circulated in 10 difference cities around Myanmar.

Main Focus Countries of Activities

Yangon, Myanmar - Mandalay, Myanmar - Myanmar - Yangon, Myanmar - Bago, Myanmar - Pyay, Myanmar - Mandalay, Myanmar - Mawlamyine, Myanmar - Taunggyi, Myanmar - Lashio, Myanmar - Yangon, Myanmar - Yangon, Myanmar - Myanmar