In May 2017, I traveled to Myanmar to support SONNE-International with their fundraising activities and online communication.

After my arrival in Yangon, I didn’t have much time to acclimatize to the, let’s just say, unusual circumstances, because in the first few days we already visited a large number of projects that were initiated by SONNE.

Among other things, we visited the three day care centers, where a total of 120 street children are provided with a meal, access to sanitary facilities and, above all, education. Although public schools are free in Myanmar, many families cannot afford to pay for school materials – unimaginable, isn’t it? I was impressed by SONNE’s comprehensive approach: in addition to school education, care and regular health checks, parents are also given advice and support to enable their children to enter the public school system.

We also visited a nunnery supported by SONNE, not too far from one of the three day care centers. The monasteries play a special role here in Myanmar, as they form a kind of social security system for orphans and children from particularly poor backgrounds. Children from all over the country are taken in by these monasteries and find a new home here for an unlimited period of time – education included.The head of the monastery told us about some of the challenges the monastery was and is facing – among other things, the children had no access to clean water to wash themselves, which led to many of the children developing skin diseases.The financing of a new water treatment plant by SONNE was able to remedy this situation. The director must have thought I was a project manager, because shortly before we left she whispered to me: “Thank you, I will never forget”.

Handover of the learning materials provided by SONNE for the schoolchildren

Group photo with some children from the nunnery

At the beginning of the school year here in Myanmar, we also visited the so-called NPK village, a village located just outside Yangon, where SONNE runs a sponsorship program and a sports promotion program, among other things. In the classrooms of the school building financed by SONNE, there is not an empty seat to be seen on the school benches – they are working at full capacity here. We go from classroom to classroom and distribute exercise books, pens and other learning materials to the children. The children in the sports program also receive new jerseys, balls and sports shoes.So that the rest of the children do not go away empty-handed, the school receives additional equipment for sporting activities, such as badminton sets, frisbees and hula hoops, which the children use on the same day.The lunch break seems to go by particularly quickly for the children this time…

During my training, I read a lot about what NGOs do wrong and that development cooperation does more harm than good. There is no doubt that it requires an extremely sensitive approach and a keen understanding of the needs of local people and the framework in which development cooperation projects are carried out. Nevertheless, I have come to the conclusion that every human life counts! It is also important to support countries that, for whatever reason, are unable to provide their citizens with access to essential services such as education or medical care.

We as individuals can make a contribution to improving the living conditions of people who are not fortunate enough to have been born in a so-called developed country. Every child who gains access to the public school system through the help of SONNE is to a large extent empowered to lead a more self-determined life. For this reason alone, it is worth fighting for every single one of these children.

Best regards from Yangon,
Philipp

Visit to one of the three SONNE daycare centers during the ceremonial presentation of birth certificates, which all children need in order to attend public school