The Design-Thinking for Community Engagement Center is made possible with support from the American people, delivered through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The B.K. Kee Foundation is a U.S.-based private, family foundation established to support the people of Myanmar.  The Foundation's mission is to provide humanitarian aid, primarily in health and education, to all people of Myanmar.  The Foundation was founded in 2005 by Dr. Lay Khin Kay, a native of Myanmar, in memory of her mother, Kee Beng Kung (aka B.K. Kee).

frog design is a global product strategy and design firm. As part of frog design’s commitment to social impact, frog has created the Collective Action Toolkit (CAT) — a set of activities and methods to enable groups of people anywhere to organize, collaborate and create solutions for problems impacting their community. In collaboration with pointB, frog design has offered its services and expertise pro-bono to support and guide the development of a Design-Thinking Center for Community Engagement in Myanmar. 

The International Rescue Committee helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. IRC teams provide health care, infrastructure, learning and economic support to people in 40 countries, with special programs designed for women and children. Every year, the IRC resettles thousands of refugees in 22 U.S. cities. The IRC was founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein.

The IRC has been working with displaced people from Myanmar since 1990. The IRC leads the USAID-funded Project for Local Empowerment (PLE), which promotes access to health, education, food security and protection services and rights for conflict-affected populations in South East Myanmar (Burma) as well as those displaced in Thailand. IRC leads the project in coordination with consortium members Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), The Border Consortium (TBC), and World Education (WE), and supports a network of over 35 local partners. The project builds the technical, management, and leadership capacities of local partners to deliver services in four states and two regions in South East Myanmar, as well as six provinces and nine refugee camps in Thailand.

The IRC is a collaborator of the Design-Thinking Center for Community Engagement, working with pointB and Mawlamyine University to provide a Payap University certified course in Organizational Development for mid-level managers from local organizations, businesses and Mawlamyine University.

Mawlamyine University in Mon state, Burma was established in 1953 and today it is the third largest university in Burma with approximately 17,000 students enrolled. Mawlamyine University has offered the facilities including learning classrooms, dormitories and faculty housing for the Design-Thinking Center for Community Engagement. As a project partner, Mawlamyine University will provide support with coordination and implementation of community development projects in Burma.

The Mon National Education Committee (MNEC) was formed in 1972 to: create a society that continually makes learning accessible for its capacity improvement so as to build a federal union state that is destined to provide its people with basic education that enables all ethnic groups to peacefully coexist. The MNEC is primarily led by indigenous Mon women, with chairperson Mi Sar Dar also sitting on the executive committee of the New Mon State Party (NMSP). The MNEC will be the primary local civil society organization working to support education and community development projects throughout Mon state.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO), University of California San Diego is one of the oldest, largest and most important centers for ocean, earth and atmospheric science research, education and public service in the world. Research at SIO encompasses physical, chemical, biological, geological, and geophysical studies of the oceans, earth and planets. SIO undergraduate and graduate programs provide transformative educational and research opportunities in ocean, earth, and atmospheric sciences, as well as degrees in climate science and policy and marine biodiversity and conservation. In collaboration with pointB, SIO will provide scientific expertise to support the rebuilding of Mawlamyine University’s marine science research and educational programs.

Thai Children’s Trust is a UK charity, which has supported disadvantaged children in Thailand for more than 30 years and has been increasingly involved in nutrition programs, including promoting improved and sustainable methods of increasing the productivity of small-scale agriculture.  The charity has also supported the training of mobile teacher trainers working to improve the quality of teaching in schools in Eastern Myanmar.  Thai Children’s Trust is an enthusiastic supporter of pointB, which is carrying into Myanmar experience gained through many years of successful work on the Thai-Myanmar border and combining it with the innovative and effective community building techniques.