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.
