Field Reports

This evening we met with the Hpa-an Education Foundation, including the current Chairman, a dedicated man called U Khin Shein. This is a group of 300 local citizens dedicated to filling the gap between what the government provides in the way of education and what is really needed. Each of the members contributes monthly to the Foundation. And, the leadership

As a long-time advocate for educating girls, it is gratifying to visit the various Monk and Nun schools to see first-hand their fine work being done in this regard. Up until this recent trip to Myanmar I have heard very little about this issue of “keeping the girls safe”. I heard a lot about it during this trip. As I

Today was a busy day in Lashio. In the afternoon we visited the Nayar Thiri Nun School. There, in the interest of safety, 40 girls from the local villages become nuns and attend nearby government schools. Two long-time nuns run the school and see to it that the girls are well cared for and get an education preparing them for

Today was a delightful day in the Mon village Kwan Hlar. I was invited there because their youth group (a few of whom I had met while working in the Nath Maw Village last year and on a previous visit to Kwan Hlar) requested that I return to provide them with a “training session.” My invaluable Myanmar partner, Treasure Shine,

Yesterday we visited the Lahu village of Poon Mon, located about 14 miles north of Lashio, Myanmar – up close to the China border. These people were relocated here in 1995 to escape the ravages of the civil war fighting. Since then they have grown from 12 households to 40. Now, with a newly elected, young, energetic village leader they

Today we visited Pain Sar, a Lahu village located 26 miles north of Lashio, Myanmar. Highly agricultural, this village of 52 households and 320 people is struggling mightily to improve their life situation. With help from a European organization they now have a very nice pre-school for their 30 children aged 3 to 5. They also have a post-primary school

Today we visited Khone Suu Village, in the dry zone south of Magwe, Myanmar. Getting there was quite an adventure. I’ve driven on some pretty bad roads in my time exploring our U. S. Southwest desert country, but, never like this. Dirt road all the way, of course. Miles and miles of roadway covered with dust with a texture as

I had a most interesting conversation with the Venerable Lorm Loeurm, Executive Director of the Life and Hope Association in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Located on the grounds of the Wat (Buddhist Temple) Damnak, I first visited this place three years ago. Although interesting, we failed to get involved. Today, during a fresh visit with fresh eyes I was impressed –

A couple of days ago we visited Kwan Hlar village, the home of our friend, Nyen Shwe, a very dedicated and hard working young Mon man living and working in Myanmar. Nyen Shwe was instrumental in getting four of the young people from his village to travel to Nath Maw village and participate in our education conference there. About 30

When I visited Lakhana Village last summer I met with the village Women’s Group. They were absolutely determined to have a “post-primary” (junior high) school so their children could continue their education beyond grade 5. So determined, in fact, that they had already purchased small piles of bricks, gravel, sand, and re-bar with the limited funds they had raised up