Back in 2015 I visited a small Karin village about thirty minutes outside of Hpa-an, the capital of the Karin State in Myanmar. The 800 families living there had only a primary school for their kids. That’s it. No secondary school. No high school. Given the difficulties of transportation to reach the nearest secondary school (not to mention the cost),

I’ve just returned from nearly five weeks in Myanmar, Thailand, and Cambodia. In this report I’ll give you a quick look at some (but not all) of the projects I visited, all of which are benefitting from improvements made possible by YOUR GENEROUS DONATIONS to our Foundation. MYANMAR At the Koenawin Monastery I got to see first hand the progress

Shortly after we arrived at the Koenawin Monastery for our visit a couple of days ago, the Monk suddenly said: “The kids are coming. Let’s go for their lunch”. So, off we went to the lunch area. Turns out that 418 kids live here and all return from the local government schools for lunch. Plus, a bunch of local kids

The highlight of my recent visit to the Koenawin Monastery was being there to celebrate the beginning of construction for their new dormitory for girls. You may recall from a previous report a few months back that we were seeking a donor to fund this building so the Monks at Koenawin could provide safe housing for at least 100 of

On a recent trip to Myanmar I visited an interesting school called Myo Set Thit. In Burmese that means “New Generation”. At this school, led by the impressive and inspirational, Kyaw Naing, 35 students from remote villages come here to Hpa-An, the capital city of the Karin State, to study in a Grade 11 “college prep” program. Here’s Treasure talking

Recently, our Myanmar Country Director, Treasure Shine, and I visited the Marga Society in Hpa-an, the capital city of the Kayin (Karen) State. In the Burmese language Marga means “blessing” or “heaven”. After my visit I left convinced that this place was well named. Marga is an inspiring story of local community leaders banding together to address common needs that

Sometimes It Is Really Difficult To Say “No” Recently Carol, George, and I visited the village of Mae Ab where a dedicated group of volunteers is working to provide the community with an Adult Education Center. (Carol and George are my Rotary colleagues here in Northern Thailand.) So far the villagers have raised 250,000 Thai Baht (about $7,100). They have

Recently we visited the Lan Pya Kyel Monastery School located about 45 minutes outside Hpa-an, Myanmar, the capital of the Karin State. In English Lan Pya Kyel translates to “Guiding Star”, a name we think is highly appropriate. A high school education is such a premium in Myanmar, and especially in the Karin State, that children will travel long distances

In late October 2016, along with my two northern Thailand Rotary colleagues, Carol and George, I visited the Sisters of Providence for the first time. Located in the northern town of Chiang Saen, these Sisters have done some remarkable work during their five short years in the country. Led by the energetic Sr. Janda Garcia da Costa (from Brazil) and

I had an extensive visit with Life & Hope Association yesterday. L&HA has two main programs. PAGE: Program for Advancing Girls Education and Sewing. PAGE: Under this program the Monks, headed by the Venerable Lorm Loeurm, support a high school education for 28 carefully selected, marginalized girls from remote villages. Their plan to expand to 35 girls next year and