June - Back to School
This
past weekend, June 7th and 8th, I was able to make another visit to the
shelter even though I only stayed there one day and one night.
The children have settled down into their new life at school
(pictured at left). Zagle and some of the other younger children
enrolled for the first time and were excited as well as happy to be
students with uniforms, books, and a school only 100 meters from their
front door. The school -- that had been threatened with closure
for not having enough students when we first moved to the village --
now has filled up. They aren't accepting new students -- there're
no more places. Since the cyclone happened in Burma, more and
more people are leaving that country and a lot of them are trying to
reach Thailand. Here is an excerpt from a story posted at the
website of my guru's foundation. He has been my inspiration since
I met him in 1981. I have written about him previously on the HTF
website here (Keys to Knowledge). The Prem Rawat Foundation Donates
US$100,000 for Disaster Relief in Myanmar
Los Angeles, May 2008 — The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) has donated US$100,000 to bring immediate aid to the hundreds of thousands of survivors who have been stranded without food, shelter or potable water after Cyclone Nargis hit the country on May 2. Through Friends of the World Food Program, TPRF’s donation will help the UN World Food Program (WFP) provide aid directly to those most affected by the disaster. “WFP was one of the first humanitarian agencies to be allowed to deliver aid directly to the people rather than through the government of Myanmar,” notes TPRF President Linda Pascotto. “Our years-long partnership with Friends of the World Food Program to distribute aid directly has meant that our donors have been assured that their funds have had a great impact on those most in need. We are again grateful for this partnership, as we are able to assure our donors that their donations are getting directly to the victims of Cyclone Nargis.” In the three weeks since the cyclone hit, WFP has dispatched a two-week ration of rice for 340,000 people in eight townships in and around Yangon and seven in the Ayeyarwady delta. They have also provided high-energy biscuits for over 107,000 children.
Even so, there are communities that have not yet been reached by any outside agencies. Much of the area is reachable only by boat, which makes the delivery of assistance even more challenging. The Myanmar authorities have now given WFP permission to bring in 10 helicopters, the first of which will arrive from Malaysia on May 22nd. In addition, WFP has now contracted four barges and two tug boats capable of moving large amounts of food and other humanitarian aid. All of this will help to improve the delivery of much-needed aid to these people. In all, WFP is currently planning to provide lifesaving food assistance for 630,000 people for six months, until the next harvest in October/November. Long-term assistance is needed because the storm has devastated the crops in Ayeyarwady, the country’s largest rice-producing district. “Time is of the essence,” says WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran. “We are mobilizing all possible resources to save lives, given the massive disruption in food, water and shelter caused by the storm.” The damage is widespread and is expected to have long-lasting effects. With an official disaster area that includes 24 million people, which is over half the population of Myanmar (Burma), it is estimated that 1.5 million are in urgent need of assistance. Flooding and seriously damaged infrastructure and communication systems add to the challenge of the rescue effort. |
I have received funds from Marie, a French friend of Monique Donahaue who visited the shelter in February this year. These funds have gone directly to Ita and Goin who have tirelessly devoted their lives to the children and the shelter. They hadn't received any salary for several months -- our budget has been very tight since world food prices have risen sharply. A lot of the staples we buy -- especially rice -- have nearly doubled in price. We have had to tighten our belts a little. After talking with Ita and Goin this past weekend, we have decided to buy a printer. They will use it to print books and worksheets for the children. Since the kids' school is full, Ita and Goin now have taken in another twelve children -- all girls -- who couldn't attend the village school. They are taught lessons in English and Burmese everyday and receive a hot meal each evening. I will also begin work on creating books in both languages to teach them with. We are also hoping to use the shelter we have now for a kindergarten once the building project is complete in October. I had met the father of three students I previously taught in Pattaravitaya School. He is a Burmese pediatrician and expressed his interest in moving to Thailand. He wanted me to teach his children. I would like to involve him in opening his clinic near our shelter or in our village. I would be able to supervise the kindergarten and also assist him in his work with mothers and their children. We are working on trying to test some new cures for malaria that have recently become available. I hope to have further information about this in our next newsletter.
Ingo,
another German volunteer, who visited us in July of last year with
Jodie, an Australian teacher, has been collecting donations in the U.K.
His recently sent funds will be used to purchase more books for
the children. I hope to soon be using them at the shelter.
Ingo was here during the Fire the Grid
healing meditation for the Earth. It was on July 17, 2007 and I
went to the farm with him, Chili and Zagle that day to meditate.
I mainly floated in the swimming hole and the kids ran around
naked -- I guess that was our meditation. We didn't take it very
seriously. However, I was inspired by the story that is the basis
for that meditation. Why not click on that link and read about
it? I have a four day holiday the weekend of July 17th this year
and will be with the kids at the shelter that weekend. I hope to
tell them the story again, get us re-inspired, and have another group
meditation of our own on the land. We need to make it ready for
the building in October. You are welcome to join us that weekend
if you are free and can make it. More news soon in Part Two of
this newsletter. I will post it with further details about the
possible cures for malaria and how we have obtained some medicines that
might be of use. I have already donated these medicines and the
literature explaining them to the Mae Tao clinic and to the doctor I
hope to involve in our mission at HTF Home School. I pray we can
continue to receive everyone's support in the future.Dhane Blue, June 10, 2008