Kin Ywa School & Orphanage - Mawlamyine

Life is pretty tough for the residents of the Shwe Pyi Aye community in the southern Myanmar city of Mawlamyine. There is no running water or electricity; water for drinking and cooking comes from wells, while washing (of clothes and people alike) is usually done in the nearby rivers and canals. Sewers, to the extent that they exist, are generally open. It's no surprise, therefore, that disease is rife.

The rainy season, from May to September, brings flooding, which not only increases the incidence of water-borne disease, but also brings malaria-carrying mosquitoes. The families are too poor to afford mosquito nets and, as a result, around 50% of the children in the area have malaria. Other common ailments in the community include dengue fever, skin diseases, typhoid, pneumonia, and tuberculosis.

It is against this background that Chief Abbot, U Wilartha, runs the Kin Ywa School and Orphanage, which has nearly 700 students, of whom around 30 are resident orphans. The list of project work being carried out here, to upgrade the most basic of living and teaching conditions, is long and impressive. In recent years, external donors have helped to finance the construction of a new school building, with classrooms and medical facilities, a toilet block (where none had previously existed) and a water tower and pumping system, which reduces the need to draw water from a well by hand.

On an initial visit in March 2005, our Project Group, though impressed by the vision and commitment of Abbot Wilathra, and by the amount of upgrading work going on, was also struck by just how basic were the living conditions of the orphans. Immediately, we bought a mosquito net for every child, and set up a medical fund to purchase drugs and other essential medical supplies. We also donated toys, games, shoes, toiletries and sundry other items collected by friends and family.

On our return visit in March 2006, we were delighted to find that the clinic we had set up was doing great work, both in the school (where every child has now had a full medical exam) and in the broader community. We decided to contribute an additional $1,000 to top up the Medical Fund and then made a more substantial donation of $10,000 towards the construction of a new dorm block, with kitchen and dining room, for the resident orphans. As before, we also gave out dolls, balls, games and toiletries collected from friends in Singapore, which were all gratefully received. The improvement in the health and happiness of the children of Kin Ywa is evident for all to see, and a great joy to witness. Construction of the new dormitory block was completed in early 2007 and our Project Group's work at Kin Ywa is now largely done.