Hello everybody

Hello everyone ......in whatever continent you might be

I've got great news to share with you all, my supporters for my wild but humble idea to foster education for the underprivileged.

You know I selected Myanmar as the country where I would like to involve myself.
I'm presently in Bangkok, just came back from Yangon yesterday happy as a lark but tired as you can imagine the intensity with which I work.

What a difference a day makes......
As you know when I left Montreal, I didn't quite know how to invest the funds we collected together $14 000 US
So with lots of good will, confident that I at least had some contacts in Myanmar off I went to face the unknown with my faithful Massimo, the same guy  who made the pasta for the cannelloni and lasagne you yumyummed with delight.

I spent quite a few days disoriented and then I visited Phan Daung OO in Mandalay, a Monastic school which provides free education to many thousands of children and which is partnered by several international foundations amongst which Forderverein, a German foundation to which I had been introduced by Thant Zin,a friend I made the last time I was in Mandalay.

I had corresponded with its director Konrad Krajewski several times and he had put me in touch with U Win Aung, the Myanmar director of his projects in both Mandalay and vicinity.
So off I went to visit Phan Daung OO, met U Win Aung and got an extensive and well guided tour by his assistant Thanda. We visited all thefacilities and then I set off to wonder around the grounds to get familiar with the campus.

That's when I met monk Owen, a bright-eyed, enterprising sympathique monk who was going off to show an Australian visitor his village school. Of course I managed to hop on the pickup truck and the love story with Chaung Ma Gy began.

I have selected Chaung Ma Gyi Monastic School as the one where I will pour my energy, my pedagogical experience and of course some of our money.
I will fund the salary of the five existing teachers and

I have carefully selected an extra staff of 5 to do weekend enrichment in Chess, music, Soccer and of course English.
The salary for a staff of 9 will be 270 000 kyats which is about $340.00 per month.

I have also bought some materials needed: chess games, soccer balls, chin balls, skipping ropes and will buy a guitar in September.
We have planted six rosebushes to celebrate our adventure with the school.

I have left in deposit to the local director of the German foundation, salaries for the months of June, July, August and September.
The rest I will send through the bank or some other means which I will work on.

I plan to return in the near future to do a followup and see what improvements need to be made.
I have spent a lot of time with Monk Owen I'm fully confident that together we will build a great model school built on values we share

Cooperation and mutual respect between staff and pupils

A strong school Spirit
Expressing an Opinion
Success for all students
Excellence:doing our best
I will tell you more about the project and show you lots of pictures when we get back this summer.
Thank you for the faith you had in me and I will do my best not to let you down

Take care
Rosemarie