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Myanmar Mission 2006 (7th June 06 to 10th
June 06)
“Penny for School
2006”
It
is unimaginable that I could afford to write this
journal only after losing my full time job. I wondered
whether that’s because I am too involved professionally
in my job or it is the job that had caused me to
procrastinate.
The
journey begins once again with me at the Singapore
Changi Airport. A strong sense of nostalgic, firstly due
to me being homesick (as I am living in Hong Kong now),
then I recalled the anxiety I had prior to boarding the
plane to Yangon more than a year ago. My unsettled heart
throbs with excitement for I knew I would be seeing the
children in North Okkalappa within the next 3 hours.
Comically I found myself first in line at the
immigration in Yangon Airport; apparently I had
“bull-dozed” my way through the passengers onboard of
SilkAir MI518.
North Okkalappa is still as disheveled as even, yet the
Monastery has a new and grayish look which seems to
epitomize the future of this country. The children in
Monastery have been waiting since early afternoon for my
“grand” arrival. It was disappointing though to hear
that the authority has evicted some of the “unwanted”
families out of the township and along with that the
removal of some of the “Penny for School” children.
Adding to the disappointment, I was not allowed to visit
the homes of the children to conduct the interviews as
my arrival has coincides with the visit of top UN
officials to Yangon. Feeling responsible for the donor’s
money, I thought it was essential that the profiles of
all children to be collected. The Venerable finally
relented to my insistence of conducting proper
interviews by requesting the children and their families
to come to the Monastery and we will distribute books
and stationeries (which is very dear to an average
student) to the children as an incentive. At the same
time, avoid any questioning eyes. Thus for the next 2
days we devoted most our time in the Monastery
interviewing and profiling these children.
Day
1 progress was languid, as I had a whole new team in
assisting me with the interviews, we have to get
accustomed to each other’s way of communication. Of
course The Venerable and team’s debilitating
organization skill did not apt progress, we managed to
interview 1/3 of our target. On the following day, with
more help from the older students and no intervals, we
completed 165 interviews, also selected 150 children for
the scholarship. The satisfaction came when I saw the
children from last year and how well they have been
doing in school. A handful of them have in fact topped
their standard!!! We rewarded them with either
additional stationeries or extra pocket money (for the
older children), it ascertains the benefits of the
program on these children. Another consolation was that
we managed to convince parents of a few child labours to
“release” them in the morning so that they can start
school. The oldest among them was a puny 11 years old
boy, who had never, got a chance to go to school since
he was working by the age of 7.
The
award ceremony was a major success, we have invited U
Maung Maung Soe Tint (Ex-Ambassador to Australia and New
Zealand) to address the recipients. I particularly
enjoyed the event, though both venue and facilities are
rudimental, there was certain dignity and hopes in the
air. We refused to allow some dishonest parents to mar
the joyous occasion. After the award ceremony, parents
and children, led by local teachers marched to their
respective school for registration. In that case there
would not be any occurrence of parents taking the
scholarship for “improper” use. The children crowded
around me before I left for the airport, most of them
promising that they will work very hard for the coming
academic year. I felt poignant when they asked if I am
visiting them next year to see their progress, for I am
baffled by my own life’s conundrum.
Besides “Penny for School”, another of my concerns is
the living conditions of the nuns in Myanmar. With
little recognition given to these nuns for their
religion contribution in Myanmar, these nunneries are
perpetually neglected by the society, subjecting these
nuns to more perilous living conditions than the monks.
We had taken a breather to visit one of such nunneries.
It was a difficult journey; the thunderous rain on that
day has rendered the path (in the midst of a paddy
field) almost inaccessible. Upon arrival, we were
appalled by the lack of basic sanitation for these girls
aged 4 to 30. Immediately we donated some basic medical
necessities and started a project to build a well and a
proper toilet. At the point of writing this journal, the
well and the toilet should have been inaugurated.
Lastly, sorry for sounding like some “Academy Awards”
speech, I sincerely thank Firefly Mission and all kind
hearted donors in contributing a total of US$800 towards
this year’s “Penny for School 2006” and the building of
amenities for the nunnery. May the smiles of those
receiving your kindness comfort you through any
challenges that you might face in this world.
Priscilla Wong
9th Sept 2006 |
