A visit to the children's home

Bobby asked us to pass a sum of donation to Pastor Naing Hung, who started a children's home in the suburb of Yangon.

Due to heavy traffic downtown, the 20km trip took over an hour. 

The children's home in Dagon City, located in the middle of a large paddy field. Dagon University can be seen nearby.

Handing over the donation to the home.

Pastor Naing believes that education was the only way for under-privileged children to get out of the cycle of illiteracy, poverty and exploitation. In their home village, children would have to work to earn their family's keep, and miss out on an education. So the pastor brought them out to stay in the children's home, so that they can go to a nearby school and focus on getting an education.  

At the moment, the home houses 12 students and a few helpers. The home is dependant on an electrical line from its neighbour... so just ONE lamp lights up the entire home. 

A very basic room shared by the guys.

Sheet metal walls and roof. Simple kitchen with bare essentials, feeding a crowd of fifteen or so. 

Looking out into the neighbourhood. 

The children would cycle to school each day. Pastor was planning put a roof over the adjacent land, so that it could be used for tuition, and protect the bicycles from shine and rain. 

Thatched houses in the neighbourhood.

A simple, bare basic home... yet giving hope and a future to under-privileged children. 

I left the home with mixed feeling... amazed at the tough children growing up in such frugal conditions, and feeling guilty for taking my modern home for granted. We who enjoy the comforts of modern life, should be thankful and consider sharing some of our resources to help these children. 

If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD - and he will repay you! (Proverbs 19:17) 

Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed. (Proverbs 28:27)

On the way back, Pastor made a brief stop at his church and Bible School.

The Believer Church.

There are 200 plus students at the bible school.

Pastor Naing showing us around the bible school. 

The teachers' quarters.

Pastor Naing, his wife and brother-in-law. They are expecting a baby in August.

The view from the pastor's home.

On the way back to downtown, we made a brief stop at Aung San Suu Kyi's residence. Nothing much to see from outside... just a tall grey gate, high walls and barb wires.