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
A visit by a Goducate team to our Children’s Home west of Yangon 5 months ago was the first time we met its ten residential children face to face. The children were shy and just about to get used to the place and with each other. They came from families that could not care for them. A recent visit in November showed a different picture. The children were laughing happily with confidence showing on their faces. And they have grown taller and bigger, thanks to the nourishing food. Except for the very young, the children attend public schools and have a proper home environment. The Home is now on the way to becoming one happy big family!
We dropped by Village 1, north of Yangon. Our two Goducate workers have been going there to teach children whose parents labor all day long carrying rocks and washing used liquor bottles for reuse, and have no time to take care of them. The children do not go to school and thus look forward to such “school” visits. And they are not disappointed. Even some mothers turn up on their rest days to observe how their children are getting on. “Classes” continue to be held in the front yard of a very supportive farmer. To provide shade for the children he has recently constructed a wooden frame on which he grows creeping plants.
The more fortunate children at Village 2 attend school. Before and after school, they look forward to gathering at a bamboo structure that serves as a “community center”. Their parents too enjoy the facility. Here, fun and games go hand in hand with learning.
We visited other villages. Like the first two villages, we were very much welcomed as children flocked to gather for their learning sessions. It takes many hours for our workers to get to these villages by public transport, so the villagers do not know exactly when they will arrive. The children, knowing of a visit, will eagerly be on the lookout, and will gather within 15 minutes of spotting our workers. These gatherings are not only for the children. They also serve as glue for strengthening community bonding. And it is often the practice that the host family in the villages visited prepares something for the children to eat.
Our whirlwind trip was tiring, but it was time well spent, seeing how Goducate work brings happiness to the villages. Each child has a potential. Goducate’s aim is to direct this potential to delightful, useful and productive outcomes for the child, the family, and the community.
The motorcycle donated by Goducate to the local staffChildren at the Home singing “Old, old, old”Presentation of token of appreciation to farmer at village 1
