RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
The future for children who ‘graduate’ from orphanages around the world is grim. According to United Nations statistics, only 27% of them will find work. 30% will become addicted to drugs. 60% of the girls will turn to prostitution and 70% of the boys will turn to crime. One out of seven will take their own lives. Heartbreaking. The single biggest predictor of a child’s successful transition to life in the ‘real world’ is to come from a place of stability and security, where loving relationships are formed. Our primary goal for Living Hope, Myanmar is to demonstrate the love of Jesus to our children in a safe and stable environment. We are committed to visiting them regularly and building relationships. Every child deserves to know they are loved uniquely and specifically, just as our Heavenly Father loves each of us. They have often asked us, “Why do you love us?” Our answer is consistent: “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19)
SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Our children learn early that they are loved by a faithful God, who is a Father to the fatherless. Jesus is our living hope, and our children have a hope and a future in Him. Time is spent each day worshiping and studying scripture together at the Children’s Home. These times have strengthened our children’s sense of family and belonging and given them ‘a reason for the hope they have’. ( 1 Peter 3:15) Our visits to Myanmar are often punctuated by the moving testimonies of faith the children have shared with us. Believers encouraging believers. That is how it should be, and it has worked both ways.
NUTRITION
This has been a high priority since our first association with the Children’s Home. Most orphanages in Myanmar (and around the world) are woefully underfunded and the children are malnourished. While Bethlehem is above this unfortunate mean, there were, and still are, issues to address. This is the largest 'line-item' in our budget. Thanks to all of you, we have been able to substantially increase the food budget, which has allowed Esther to regularly provide vegetables, meat, and occasional fruits. We've had their average daily intakes analyzed by dietitians and have added a vitamin fortified soup base and soy milk to address some of the unmet nutritional needs. The children’s nutrition will continue to be closely monitored. We believe that to succeed in school and to remain healthy, it is essential that the children have an adequate diet.
EDUCATION
Both of Esther's parents were teachers prior to their calling to open a children's home. This family values education and does an excellent job of helping our kids succeed in school. Two of our children won ‘top student’ awards at the primary school last year. We are so proud of these kids. All of them work hard in school, and most do well. That is remarkable considering that many had never attended school before their arrival at the Children’s Home. That said, the educational system in Myanmar does not adequately provide for employment opportunities for its graduates. There is an exam at the end of 11th grade to determine college eligibility, and children from rural schools in Myanmar (like our kids school) have a pass rate at less than 40%. Even so, college graduates there struggle to find jobs. We have been focused since the very beginning of Living Hope, to provide opportunities for success in life to the children when they eventually leave the Children’s Home. The country is now beginning to open up to foreign investment. English is the universal language of foreign business involvement in Myanmar, and we have decided to focus on teaching our children to become eligible to participate in these opportunities. We have partnered with a US based organization called Cetana that teaches English to Burmese nationals. They provide English instruction at the Children’s Home for the school summer breaks, and on Saturdays during the school year. Our goal is that all of our children will be proficient in English. Eventually, we hope to open an English school in the village, hopefully staffed by our Children’s Home graduates. We would like to begin raising funds for this project in 2018. We intend to provide the resources necessary to send all of our children to college or trade school, in the hope that all of them will be able to obtain gainful employment when they leave the Children’s Home. Our goal is to establish an educational trust that will secure our ability to meet these needs going forward.
HEALTHCARE
The healthcare system in Myanmar is primitive and woefully inadequate. It is a two-tiered system and even the hospitals for the 'rich' are well below US standards. Many of our children had never seen a physician prior to their arrival. They come to us from socioeconomic situations that make significant health issues likely. We are blessed to have physicians on our board, and healthcare workers our regular Myanmar teams. The children are able to get annual health checks by our team, and we intend they are able to get medical care as necessary, locally, throughout the year. We pray for the resources to make this possible.
Basic Necessities
We are blessed to possess good land, secure fenced property, and several nice, functional buildings. Since becoming involved, we have been blessed by donations that made it possible to provide a reliable clean water supply for the Children’s Home. We were also able to replace the failing thatched dining hall with a modern kitchen and dining facility. The children now all have beds and adequate mosquito netting. Through your generosity, all the children have dental care supplies, and the girls have feminine hygiene supplies. Donations also provide for school uniforms each year, and basic clothing items, backpacks, umbrellas and raincoats. (Southern Myanmar receives over eight feet of rain each year during the rainy season!)
We are praying for the funding for new flush toilets and a showering facility, and for a vehicle to transport food, supplies, and the children as necessary.
Would you consider partnering with US to answer the call of Psalm 82:3 ?
"Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the the poor and the oppressed."