Myanmar (formerly Burma) is the 24th most populous country in the world, home to over 53 million people comprised of more than 100 ethnic groups. Access to basic infrastructure and services remains a challenge in both rural and urban areas and only one-third of the population has access to the national electricity grid.
Approximately 70% of Myanmar's people live in the countryside, and most rural families make their living from farming. Poverty in Myanmar’s rural areas is substantially higher than that in its urban areas: 38.8% of the rural population are estimated to be poor compared to 14.5% of those in its towns and cities. Poverty remains geographically spread in Myanmar: in the coastal and mountainous areas, 4 in 10 of the population are poor and 1 in 6 will struggle to meet their basic food needs, while 65% of the poor live in the Dry Zone and Delta. |
Tae Thee Taw Village, Shwe Bo Township, Sagaing Division
There was not enough classroom space. Students had to all study in one room. Some students had to study outside due to lack of classroom space. After 4th grade, the 9-10 year old students had to travel 7 miles away on very rough roads to go to school and lack of transportation. Many were dropping out of school after 4th grade because the journey was just not possible, especially at such a young age. The Michelle Chiou Foundation provided funding to build three new classrooms so the students to provide more classroom space and for the older students to continue their schooling. |
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Myat Hle Village Project
Located almost halfway between Rathedaung and Kyaukataw in the Rhakine State of Mynanmar- about a three-quarter's mile walk from the only road in the area, Myat Hle Village is a community of over 185 indigenous households of five generations past.
Meeting with the elders and leaders of the community and discussing a program toward self-sustainability in five key areas, The Michelle Chiou Foundation, in partnership with NGO has launched their efforts to fund their progress forward. Projects entirely funded by The Michelle Chiou Foundation include: water containment strategies, school construction, as well as health and sanitation improvements, particularly in the areas of animal handling, food preparation and proper disposal or containment of waste. While the endeavor is in its infancy, it is the hope of The Michelle Chiou Foundation to one day establish Myat Hle Village as a strategic effort by which to model all other surrounding villages in the region. |
Sittwe Baptist Orphanage School & Church
Showing a desperate need for ongoing support for a teacher to teach the young girls of the school how to sew, and one for the older boys that could teach them the skills of the construction trade, The Michelle Chiou Foundation found a special place in their heart to provide them the funds to be able to do just that.
The Michelle Chiou Foundation is looking at ways it can continue their support when it comes to the school's ever-increasing needs, partially as a result of a government mandate to accept more children than the school and orphanages in the area can realistically teach and house. With a list of needs to cloth, feed, and house children- not to leave out providing the medical care and education they need all along the way, the MCF has begun a major effort to see what they can do to keep Sittwe Baptist Orphanage School & Church high on their donation roster. The school, church and dorm compound sitting on a 2 1/2 acre piece of land surrounded by a fence, upon first arrival, makes you feel as though the children here are safe. At least safer than what seems to be happening in the neighbor-hoods around. For Sittwe, due to recent bouts with political and civil unrest, not oto mention the ongoing tugs-of-war between opposing power structures, life on the street is anything but cozy and predictable. Within the compound, sits Sittwe Baptist Church. The place of worship for all, where classes are held for live-in students between the ages of six and eighteen, and where a make-shift dorm houses both male and female students at opposite ends of the building.
A place where boys are taught the carpenter trade after school and girls are taught to sew. Two strong skill sets that are not only considered to be in high demand for that region, but they are looked upon as necessary in most cases. Especially for students that are not as fortunate enough to advance into higher education, at the point when they either transition out, or become old enough to simply strike out on their own. Becoming all the reasons why the Michelle Chiou Foundation will continue to support Sittwe Church, Orhanage & School as they continue to grow to become Sittwe's central place for ground-up spiritual and educational growth for orphans, with eternal love and guidance. |