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Useful Links October 25, 2008
Dear friends,
I remember when Tricia and I were raising funds for our first school in Myanmar, even before we started Shanta Foundation. We had decided to contribute $3,000 to get the process going. A couple of months later, in the midst of our fundraising effort, we had a financial hardship and I suggested to Tricia that maybe we could cut back our commitment to $1000. “No one would really know and it would save us some valuable money,” I said. She looked me in the eye with that wise-woman gaze of hers and responded, “Do you really want your fears to make this decision or your generosity and trust?”
Well, I knew I wanted to trust and have never regretted it. With the current economic turmoil in this country it is understandable that many of us feel anxious about our own financial security. And, I do think these are serious times that require a very thoughtful approach to managing our money. At the same time it is easy to overreact in these circumstances and lose the big picture of our lives. Having a view of the larger world around us, the simplicity of their lives and the considerable challenges they face, can give us a more balanced perspective about what is truly important.
Shanta Foundation is now beginning its fourth year of helping the poor mountain villagers of Myanmar improve their quality of life. We are proud of the children, like Min Min, who are attending middle school for the first time and their parents for insisting that education is a priority, even if it means forgoing the extra labor in the fields.
Little Min Min stopped attending primary school when she was just 9 years old. She wasn’t learning much in school and there was little incentive to continue. Plus, her parents needed her help in the garlic and wheat fields. This was to be her future. However, six months later she was excited to attend classes again after Shanta Foundation helped her village build a new, well running school with separate classes for each grade. Min Min is now half way through her first year of middle school at the nearby village of Sin Mee and hopes to be a teacher when she is old enough.
Shanta Foundation is trying to raise $100,000 this year to accomplish many important projects in seven or more villages in Myanmar. Our new projects include a full time regional medical clinic, libraries, pre-schools, and micro-credit for economic advancement. These efforts hold life changing potential for so many children and adults. We are more than half way towards our goal and need your help.
Prior to our work in these villages:
2.5 ………….. average number of years children attend school
5% ................ percentage of children attending middle school
90% .............. average illiteracy rate
$200-400 ...... average annual family income
5 …………... average number of children per family
In the villages where we have already built schools, the percentage of children attending four years of primary school is 95% and the percentage going on to middle school in 85%. As Greg Mortenson of ‘Three Cups of Tea’ says, “when you give someone hope, anything is possible.”
With warm regards,
Mike Karpfen
Executive Director
