The gift
The gift
This is the gift that all the 750 children in the various schools will get this Christmas, a warm sweater, candy, a coloring book, a pen, crayons, stickers, and a Christmas card. We gave the children a warm sweater last year as well, but they are all worn out by now, since it gets cold up in the mountains.
The first gifts on the way
A local Bible school team is already bringing the first patch of gifts out to the schools in the rural villages. They will spend about a week before they reach the first village, just in time for Christmas! The team is all excited about being part of the distribution. Some of them went last year as well, and they know how happy the children will be when they get their own presents.
The teachers
The 2012 diary to the left in the picture is for the teachers. We often think about the kids, but so often forget to honor and appreciate the teachers. This Christmas the teachers will feel appreciated as they get a rare quality diary for 2012.
Christmas Project 2011
Children at risk
The Christmas season is coming up and it is time to start the Christmas shopping. Families Together will also this year give Christmas gifts to all the childen on the 22 schools that we have started. This year 750 children receives education through Families Together. These children live long into the mountains towards India, and without the school they are at risk of being sent to children homes in the cities for education.
Give a child something extra for Christmas
For only 5 US Dollars you can give a child in a small village somewhere in the mountains of Myanmar a Christmas gift. 5 dollars is not a lot, but it will probably be the only gift that the children will gett his Christmas. The villages are extremly poor, and it is difficult enough to get food on the table. A small Christmas gift will be a big encouragement for the children, and also a good opportunity for us to think about the children in the world that are not as fortunate as our children.
What about the rest of the year?
Any profit from the Christmas Project will be used to maintain the schools that Families Together have started. It is of course possible to give the rest of the year as well. 8 US Dollars is enough to cover school expenses, salaries, yearly seminars for teachers, and all other costs. Eight a month.
Click here to find out how you can give a Christmas gift to these children.
Family returns to village
Returning home
Ngun Chin Rin (no. 2 from the right) is seven years old and live in a small village in the Chin Hills of Myanmar. She is an eager second grader and last year at the closing ceremony of her school, she received the price for being “Best student of the year.”
Supporters
New supporters
As Families Together is growing into new villages we see the need to increase our regular support. Up until now a big portion of our income has come from other organisations wanting to support rural education in Myanmar. We will continue these realtionships, but are looking at strengthening the support base of individual donors.
New motorbike
Difficult roads
The schools that Families Together support are far from the cities. From Yangon it takes three days on bus before the roads are to small for cars to drive on. Earlier we have walked, hired horses, or hired motorbikes these trails into to project villages. But now we have bought a motorbike that we can use from where the bus stops.
2010-2011 in numbers
It has been a great year for Families Together and this is a summary in numbers. (Our school year and financial year finishes March 31st.)
Number of preschools supported: 14
Number of Primary schools supported: 4
Number of villages: 15
More than half done
More than half is already collected!
We have two months left of the Kick-Off campaign and with great joy we can announce that we already have collected about 11500 US dollars of the 16000 that we are hoping for. The funds from this campaign will be used to start two new pre-schools and one new Primary school in addition to support the already existing schools.
Kick-Off 2011
Families Together 2011 Kick-Off campaign
Children are still being sent away from their families in Myanmar so that they can go to school in the cities. New children homes are started in Mandalay and Yangon. Local pastors don’t know what to do with all these children. The natural response is to start a children home and start looking for a foreign supporter. Families Together believes differently. We believe the children should stay where they can learn the best – with their families. But for that to happen, there must be an education opportunity for the children in their villages.
Christmas fun in the Chin Hills
A long travel for the Christmas Gifts
The team just got back after 4 weeks of Christmas fun in the Chin Hills. One week going there, two weeks travelling from village to village, and one week coming back. They were exhausted, but happy. Happy was also the word for all the children they had seen. From village to village the children were shouting their joy as they received a warm sweater for the cold days and their very first Picture Bible. The Bible has beautiful illustrations and is written in their Chin language, so it was extra precious for the children. Read the rest of this entry »
The blind spot
Why do they leave?
In this country, why are so many children being sent to orphanages or child-care institutions even if the children have their own parents? Even for real orphans, it is far better to stay with his loving relatives rather than going off to a strange home. Why do even single parents easily justify sending their children away to children homes? (Studies indicate that more than 50 % of children in children’s homes in Yangon have relatives that can care for them.) Read the rest of this entry »
- Total regular donorsWe are increasing our monthly support from individuals22 of 200 regular supporters
The Christmas Project 2011We are collecting money to buy a Christmas gift to each of the children160 of 750 gifts