A visit last month to the Goducate-supported Grace’s Home for Children in the outskirts of Yangon, Myanmar, revealed that the children have certainly grown—not only in height but also in capabilities. One of them, Sahe, has taken it upon herself to coach and teach some of the other kids. The atmosphere in the Home is indeed one of a happy family.
The older kids from the Home also help to conduct educational and recreational activities for village children and their mums. The village children look forward to this weekly event, which has become a regular occasion for a village gathering.
Kids from the Home teaching village children and their mums
As excitement built up at the second village that we visited, the village children themselves volunteered to take over the show, with a song and dance. How the visits by the Home enable hidden talents to be expressed!
Goducate supports a team in Myanmar that conducts literacy activities for children and interested adults in 8 communities scattered around the fringe of Yangon. 3 of these communities were added in the past year and a half. Two of us from Goducate headquarters in Singapore visited the team in late February.
At each community the team teaches 60-80 children. The children gather as soon as soon as the team arrives. Some would have just returned from school, but many do not go to school because of poverty, distance, and the transient nature of their stay within a community. Children are largely left to themselves during the day because their parents work as menial labourers or are out looking for work, leaving the children under the passive care of grandparents, if any. So, not surprisingly, the children look forward to the team’s weekly visits. They learn many new things through the activities, and they certainly enjoy the fun, laughter, and togetherness.
We made a courtesy call on the widow of a farmer who had been a very welcoming host, allowing his front yard, with makeshift roof, to be used as a “classroom” for the past 3 years. Sadly, the farmer passed away at the end of last year. His widow continues to do the same, and even provides snacks for the children at each gathering. It is because of people like these who willingly provide the use of their homes, that the team can carry out their work with the children.
Our visit was short and it was good to know that Goducate makes a difference in the lives of so many children and in the communities.
Lesson in a front yard “classroom”Paying attention in class
The mothers and children in a village just east of Yangon now have a “community center” at which to gather and socialise. Goducate has supported educational activities at this village since February 2013. Like almost all other small villages that grew from a cluster of huts, there was no central gathering place. Goducate workers had to use any space that was convenient for its activities.
Fortunately, one of the families allowed Goducate the use of their front yard to teach English to children of the village through fun, song, and games. In January 2014, Goducate put up a tent structure with permission of the family. The tent, costing Ks30,000 ($30), provides shade from the sun and light rain. When not used for Goducate’s educational classes, it is a focal point for community gatherings.
The people now have a place at which to gather to know each other better, to talk, and to have group activities. All in all it is a big plus for the village.
