Myanmar in Top 3 Most Charitable Countries

Travel News / By
 
 

Myanmar once again makes the top 3 most charitable countries in the world. Despite its Least Developed Country (LDC) status, Myanmar is the second most generous country in the world—after the United States—according to the World Giving Index 2020.

It has been more than a decade that Myanmar has been enjoying the status of one of the world’s most generous countries. What makes it even more remarkable is the fact that all other countries in the top 8 are Western countries including the UK, the Netherlands, and Australia. Sri Lanka and Indonesia come in at numbers 9 and 10.

The report surveyed over 1.3 million people in 125 countries  looking at three aspects of giving behaviour:

  • Helped a stranger
  • Donated money to a charity
  • Volunteered time to an organization

Myanmar’s continuous positive results in this survey are linked to its cultural and religious beliefs where small, frequent acts of giving are the norm. Disasters and hardship also tend to lead to an increase in the number of people giving.

It will come as no surprise to those who have travelled to Myanmar that the country scores high on the list, having experienced first-hand the helpful and hospitable nature of the Myanmar people.

“The tourism industry is facing an unprecedented challenge from the Coronavirus pandemic,” says Mr. Myo Thwin, newly elected Chairman of Myanmar Tourism Marketing.  “However we have to be resilient and we have to be prepared and hope for a post-virus bounce. We hope and look forward to the day that we can show our generosity and great hospitality to all visitors who visit to this beautiful country.”

 
 
Generosity during COVID-19
As the second wave of coronavirus is hitting the country’s economy, Myanmar people remain true to their nature by giving generously to support the country’s fight against the virus.Many volunteers, grassroots organizations, and local NGOs are helping the city’s vulnerable residents, including daily street workers, elderly vendors, and daily-wage earners to try and mitigate the impact of Covid-19.  Furthermore, many philanthropists and big companies are coming together to donate much-needed medical equipment and even to build quarantine centers.

 

“The generosity engrained in the Myanmar people spreads amongst all religions and all ethnicities in this nation of 53 million,” says Sammy Samuels, Executive Committee member of MTM and the head of the Jewish community in Yangon. “The Myanmar people have a strong sense of community and they come together to overcome hurdles.”

In line with regulations of the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA), Myanmar stopped all international commercial flights landing on March 30th.  Apart from for repatriation flights, this ban remains in place until October 31st.

Source: https://mailchi.mp/592b9b848e56/myanmar-in-top-3-most-charitable-countries?e=7ade17fdb6