July 21-28 in Maesot

As the turmoil in Burma continues - parents, families, and villages are destroyed across the gorgeous rain-soaked plains and mountains of the Thai-Burmese border. The light and smiles of the faces of these children are just another sharp contrast in this dynamic place. It has been a year since I was here and taught these children. The children of Maesot are eager students who easily capture one’s heart.
Unlike many schools, the Burmese and Karen staff remains unchanged. Their hearts and their hope are invested in these children, whose education and faith is the only weapon they have against a brutal regime. The refugee camps, where many of their families live, are breeding grounds for political angst. The school is a place where sharp edges are smoothed by Christian love and fellowship – for both Burmese Buddhists and Karen Christian children and adolescents. Soon the stories of the 12th grade class will be posted on this blog so that you yourself might become invested in the lives of these students and the plight of their people.

Budget Crisis

The needs are great.
Imagine:
Being a student without a national identity
Being a teacher with little or no pay
Living in a foreign country illegally
The Saturday (Daily) School operates with a monthly budge of $6000 (June 2008)
Salary (for teachers and workers) $3800
Transportation $1333
Teaching Supplies $115
Utilities $55
Food for children (Not in budget)
So far Fortress International has given $500 this month and hopes to raise $2000 (matching last year).
All donations will go straight to the BMWEC Emergency Fund
You can send checks to Calvary Chapel Escondido or deposit in Wells Fargo Account (Contact me for details)

Online University?

The focus of my energy for the next couple of years will be to help start programs for student graduates of Saturday School.
This month I will give a proficiency exam for 13 Twelfth Graders and 27 Eleventh Graders in Four Skills of English. I will also interview the Twelfth Graders to gauge their skills
Plans include:
Online writing blog and teaching (while I’m in Saudi Arabia)
Improving English curriculum to reach TOEFL Exam standards (For application to universities or studying abroad)
April Leadership and Management Skills Workshop
June 2010 six-month “On-line University”
25 New desktop or notebook computers are needed—Contact me if you have any leads for donations

First Students of Saturday School to Graduate

Currently Saturday School in Maesot has 636 students. 13 of these students will graduate in April. After graduation students will go back to Burma to serve their communities in many different ways

July 9th Visit Maesot

I arrived with little notice and was fortunate to be able to have a two -hour meeting with all the principle people:
Naw Paw Ray (Chairperson of Burmese Migrant Workers Education Committee)
Sa Eh (Saturday School Principal)
Also a group of teachers from Burma, Canada, and India.
In this past year there has been a constant crisis mode in Maesot due to the food price inflation / freedom riots, the cyclone disaster, and continual brutalization against the tribal groups in Burma by the military junta.
Despite being in financial crisis because of lack of dependable sponsors— the committee has been giving to individuals who cross the border in Maesot and distribute aid across Burma. Also they have adopted 100 cyclone victims which include 13 orphans.
However the committee that oversees 10,000 students in five districts of Thailand now must to draw from emergency funds to meet their monthly budget for the schools and orphanage. Most of the students have parents that are migrant workers trying to cope with a difficult situation in Burma by trying to make a living as refugees in Thailand.
The number of students has risen by 2,000 students just this year. Each district is supervised by different Thai authorities. The Maesot district is sympathetic to the Karin and Burmese displaced people, but other districts try to shut down the schools.
The situation is always at a critical state, but most of the Karin are devout Christians who although they fight for political rights, they are thankful to Thailand for safe harbor. Their tenacity to strive for a better future for their children and the hope they have in their Christian faith are both formidable.
If there is a future for Burma (Myanmar) of political peace and religious freedom, these students perhaps are the greatest resource to see that happen.
In this newsletter several proposals to support the children of Burma are presented.