2012 was yet again filled with exciting stories to share. As we end the year, the Moegyo Team would like to take this opportunity to thank, on behalf of the orphans and vulnerable childrens in Myanmar (Burma), to all donors for their generosity and to all contributors, supporters and volunteers for their dedication and commitment. A special note also to thank the Moegyo volunteers in Myanmar to coordinate and execute projects and programs successfully in difficult-to-reach places and that the fund provided is spent effectively.
During the summer of 2012, the Moegyo Team organized two successful fundraising activities to support five orphanages and Moegyo (1) Basic Primary School in Myanmar.
1. 5th Annual Moegyo Food Fair in New York 2. 3rd Annual Moegyo Lawn Concert in Virginia
The milestone success story for the Moegyo Team in 2012 is the completion of Water Project. With the donations received, the Moegyo Team was able to complete the project in Panthapyay Palaung village, Northern Shan State. After Moegyo (1) Basic Primary School was completed in 2011, we have come to realize that clean water is required at the school and for the village for sanitation and health related reasons. The area was surveyed and located the water source from natural spring which is one and half miles away from the village. A dedicated Moegyo volunteer coordinated the project and teamed up with the villagers/volunteers to complete the project. Because of the running water available, the villagers, especially the children, were the least effected by the outbreak of Cholera in the summer of 2012. Read more here.
Aftermath of the Hurricane Sandy, the Moegyo volunteers provided assistance in recovery and clean-up effort at the Midland area in Staten Island, New York, where it hit the hardest. The foundation also sent donation to the American Red Cross for disaster relief fund for Hurricane Sandy.
During 2012, the Moegyo Team made field trips to all 5 orphanages that we have been supporting continually with your donations since the end of 2008. The team donated school supplies, clothing, sewing machines and supplies during the visit. The team also met with the students who we provided scholarships and discussed their future endeavors. Read more here.
Moegyo Humanitarian Foundation also sent donation to help earthquake victims from towns and villages near Showbo, Myanmar through Myanmar Social Development Network in Yangon, Myanmar. The magnitude of 6.8 hit near Showbo and Mandalay on 11 November 2012. As a result of the earthquake, significant damage of buildings, bridges and some casualties were reported. Read more here.
Again, this would not have been possible without your generosity, continued support and dedication. Yet, many more children still need your care, love and support. We believe we can do a lot more in coming years, with you, from helping natural disaster relief efforts to improving the life of a child. Together, we can make a difference!
Thank you.
The Moegyo Team
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Moegyo Humanitarian Foundation (MHF) is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and is registered in the State of New York in the United States of America. (TAX ID: 26-2639437)
In 2012, Moegyo team made visits to the following orphanages and schools that we are giving on-going support with your contributions since the end of 2008.
January 2012, Mya Theingi Nunnery, Mingalardon, Yangon
Moegyo team visited Mya Theingi Nunnery in Mingalardon Township in Yangon, learned the conditions of the children and progress of the nunnery and donated 105,000 Kyats on top of the monthly support. Please see the photos here.
December 2012, Pyinnyar Waddy Nunnery, Kyite Latt, Ayeyarwaddy
Moegyo team visited Pyinnyar Waddy Nunnery in Kyite Latt. We learned that the living condition of the girls was improved by the new buildings and the girls were making good progress in school. Two of the girls are going to college and one is in the last year of high school. Four older girls are earning money from sewing business that help support them with tuition fees. On top of the monthly donation, we donated 60 dozen exercise books, pens, pencils and snacks for the girls. We also donated an automatic pattern making machine and sewing supplies to enhance their self sustaining sewing business. Please see the photos here.
December 2012, Pay Gyaung Parahita, Pay Gyaung village, Kyite Latt, Ayeyarwaddy
Moegyo team took a two-hour boat ride from Kyite Latt to visit the "Zawtika" school in Pay Gyaung village since no road goes to this place. We saw that the children were having brunch with only one soupy dish made of bean and vegetable. Since this place is hard to reach, only a few donors come by in a year and that they typically have only two meals a day. Our monthly donation alone could only go as far as providing them with rice and beans. On top of the monthly donation, we donated 30 dozen exercise books, pens and snacks for the children. We also arranged to send them one more pair of clothing since we learned that they have only one pair. Please see the photos here.
December 2012, Mya Theingi Nunnery, Mingalardon, Yangon
Moegyo team visited Mya Theingi Nunnery in the outskirts of Yangon, saw that more students enrolled as the condition of the classrooms improved and more teachers were made available. On top of the monthly donation, we donated 60 dozen exercise books for the children. Please see the photos here.
December 2012, Kani Parahita, Kani village, Pyapon, Ayeyarwaddy
Moegyo team took a bumpy ride on some flood damaged roads to visit Kani Parahita in Pyapon in December 2012. On the way, we saw heavy rain damaged paddy fields and overflowed fish farms. We reached the orphanage by lunch time and saw the children about to have lunch. After lunch time, we were delighted to meet all the college students that we've been supporting with scholarships. When we saw 3 rows of college students, 1st to 3rd year, we realized then that the years fly by so fast. We've been supporting them for four years since their last year of high school and the ones in the first row are to be in their final year of college. They went on to show us around in the compound of a building being constructed by German donors, a newly built building stocked with a computer room also by the same donors, and nearby high school that needs new building due to flood and heavy rain damage. We then donated monthly donations, scholarship money for last year high school students and college students and 60 dozen exercise books for all the students. Please see the photos here.
December 2012, Mingalar Orphanage, Phayagyi village, Twentay Township
Moegyo team visited Mingalar orphanage and saw the condition of the school and the children and donated 30 dozen exercise books on top of the monthly donations. Please see the photos here.
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We want to thank our donors
for continued support and opportunity for us to help shape
the lives of those children for the better. We also want to thank those who are in the field taking part in this
great cause. There are many children who need our support and
care. Together, we can make a difference in many young lives.
The Moegyo team sent donation to assist and to help Shwebo earthquake victims through Myanmar Social Development Network in Yangon, Myanmar.
The magnitude of 6.8 earthquake hit near the northeast of Shwebo, Myanmar on 11 November 2012. Damage was reported from Shwebo, Mogok and Mandalay. From the local Myanmar news agencies, many buildings, including monasteries, pagodas, a hospital, and a school collapsed in neighbouring towns and villages from Shwebo. The Radana Thinga Bridge, which was still under construction, fell into the Irrawaddy River, and several workers went missing.
The Myanmar Social Development Network launched the relief effort to provide basic needs to the the families from effected area in Shwebo area. Their team also coordinated with other local teams to provide necessary assistance to the earthquake victims in other effected locations near Mandalay.
Saturday, August 4th 2012 was a happy day. On that summer day, Moegyo Humanitarian Foundation held the 3rd Annual Lawn Concert in Herndon, Virginia, to raise funds to support 5 orphanages and Moegyo 1 Primary School in Shan State.
There was live music by a local band and the guests enjoyed a dinner buffet complete with many authentic Burmese Cuisines, desserts and drinks. Local vendors displayed their goods for sale, and a silent auction featuring unique gifts and accessories. The event was possible with the help of supporters and volunteers who turned out to give a hand to those children in need in Myanmar. 100% proceeds from the event went towards the orphans in Myanmar.
Panthapyay village has population of over 500 people in 98 households with about 200 children. Moegyo (1) Primary School opened with a permanent building consisting of 3 classrooms, a teachers living quarter, toilets and a bathroom, a concrete rain water storage tank and a generator in June 2011 school year. Attendance at the school opening was about 160 students from Panthapyay village and neighboring villages. The school is run and maintained by a headmaster, four teachers and a staff member.
Clean water is necessary for health and sanitary reasons for the school and the village since water is typically obtained from far reached area at the foot of the mountain. Moegyo volunteers surveyed the area for possible water source and planned out the water project in November 2011. A natural spring water source is located at about one and a half miles away at the East of Panthapyay village. It was determined that running pipelines from the water source would be beneficial for the health and development of the school and the whole village. Fortunately, we found an individual donor for the cost of the water project. with the donated money from a Burmese family in Connecticut, Moegyo volunteers provided logistics and know-how to execute the water project and were able to provide constantly running clean water to the whole village on March 24, 2012. The school is now, has excess to running fresh water, the villagers now don't have to go miles away down to the foot of the mountain to fetch water. The water is right at the gate of their village, now they not only can wash themselves as many times as the want and their overall hygienic condition has improved tremendously.
In June 2012, Moegyo volunteers witnessed that the impact of the water project was immense; resulting in the prevention of a highly contagious disease (cholera) spreading to the village. An outbreak of Cholera in a Palaung village name "Phan Woe Laing", 10 miles Northeast of Phanthapyay where Moegyo (1) Primary school is located. The death toll from Cholera in the Pan Woe Laing village was over a hundred including the abbot of the monastery. The disease spread to nearby villages with many death, Phan Tha Pyay village was the least effected due mainly to the access of fresh water in the village, and thanks to Moegyo and the donor of funds for the project. Imagine if the disease spread to the village where the school is located, how it would effect the children attending the school. The news of the outbreak of cholera was heard in Yangon and it was in the newspaper, a medical team of nurses and doctors were sent to this region, and Moegyo primary school was used for the medical team to station. It was convenient for them because the school is equipped with bathroom and clean toilet facility. Before the arrival of the medical team, a hospital in the Shan village of Mongyaw 10 miles away was full of sick people, some of them had to be transported to the Provincial town of Lashio where there is a big hospital, some of them died on the way before reaching Lashio. The disease was brought under control by the end of July 2012. As volunteers of Moegyo, we all take pride in what we are doing in the Palaung village educating the children and helping to improve the villagers' health.
On 30 March, the local authorities in Tarlay have estimated that 702 houses were damaged. The Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) reports that 3,152 people are homeless. Initial findings of a rapid assessment indicate that at least 18,000 people residing in 90 villages are affected by the earthquake.
Most of those villages are located in Tarlay and Mong Lin.
The local authorities have reviewed the situation and identified immediate needs in water, including the restoration of access to safe water and shelter.
On April 1, 2011, Moegyo Humanitarian Foundation posted this call for help for the earthquake victims in Shan State.
On 16 June 2011, Moegyo Humanitarian Foundation provided other remaining needs to the victims in the effective areas including (2) Churches, (2) Monasteries and (22) families who badly needed help.
Please see the photos of Moegyo volunteers donating money and supplies to the earthquake victims in Moegyo Gallery.
Here is a story of how one man changed the lives of one hundred and fifty children and those around them. The impact that he has made will be felt for generations to come and he is our hero. That man is Jimmy (aka) Moses. This is his story.
May 2010: I visited this Palaung village “Pan –Tha-Pyay” located on the mountain range about 10 miles from the village of Mongyaw where we helped built a Primary school in 2007-2009. I discovered that in this village of over 500 people, including nearly 200 children, not only nobody can read or write but also their standard of living is very primitive.
I persuaded the village elders to build a temporary school using bamboo and thatch to begin classes by June. It was easy for them to see a need to build a school after I showed them a video of a school that we built at a nearby village of Mongyaw, by using a portable dvd player I carried with me.
We hired a Kachin native who speak Shan, Burmese and a bit of Palaung as a teacher at a salary of $60 per month for 10 months, (June 2010 to March 2011). We also had to buy a motorcycle at a cost of $500 for him to commute between this village (Pan-Tha-Pyay) and his home which is in Monyaw 10 miles away. We also left $300 to purchase school supplies such as blackboard, exercise books, pencils, etc.
Look at the condition of the road leading to Pan Tha Pyay village:
October 2010: A friend who is a member of Moegyo Humanitarian Foundation introduced me to the organization. I explained the school project to the members and they realized and understood the need, and without any hesitation agreed to help the funding of the project with $5,000 (five thousand dollars). This foundation was initially formed to help the Nargis Cyclone victims in Myanmar. This non-profit humanitarian organization has continued to help other causes.
Also, friends who knew about this school project donated collectively a total of $4000 (Four thousand dollars).
November 2010: I returned to this Palaung village to begin construction of a permanent school building.
December 24: The village headman secured an empty lot for us to construct the school building. The school building measures 60 feet by 40 feet, the building will have a three separate classrooms. All the necessary building materials will have to be bought and trucked to this village.
January 27: An opening ceremony was held.
Watch the school opening ceremony here:
Subsequently on the 9th of May 2011, with further additional funding from MHF, a teacher’s living quarter complete with toilet facility, bathroom and concrete water storage tank were built and the construction was completed on the 23 of June 2011.
There are more than one hundred and fifty students and more are expected to come from nearby villages to enroll. There are five teachers: one male and four female, all of whom are ethnic Kachin. They seemed to know the psychology of these Palaung children. Their teaching found to be helping the transformation of these once ragtag purposeless children into decent happy looking filled with hope looking for a better future.
This project could not have been possible without the generous support from Moegyo Humanitarian Foundation, and please allow me to fervently say this, I am humble and at the same time I am proud to have the opportunity of calling myself one of the volunteers of this great organization and once again let me express my profound appreciation for making this project possible.
As soon as we saw the photo of this boy from Pay-Chaung Youth Development Center with big cyst on his nose, we all wanted to get him help with his Meningocele condition. We all tried to get in touch with our contacts in Yangon to find a surgeon who is familiar with Meningocele repair while inquiring if the boy himself would like to do it. One day, one of the volunteers shared a forward email she received about a team of German doctors performing pro-bono reconstructive surgeries in Ngapali. We all got excited by the email and tried to confirm the legitimacy of the email and it was to our amazement that it proved to be true. It turned out that Oliver Soe Thet of Myanmar Chefs Association was responsible for bringing in a team of German doctors with Interplast in the country to perform free surgeries. To add to our thrill of knowing that the boy is so lucky to be in good hands of capable and experienced surgeons, the contact email address in the forward email was “Angel”. For more information about Maung Win Htun’s operation, please read the report from the field below:
Once Moegyo members have seen the photo of Mg Win Htun, they wanted to help with the boy’s bump on his nose. But they were quite scared that something might go wrong with the operation if not done properly. Anyhow they were still eager to help the boy. Last month I got an email from one of Moegyo members that Oliver’s MCA group has been helping that kind of patients. Once I got his email and his phone number, I tried to contact him and try to get appointment with the surgeon who could operate on the boy. Then, I informed the Pay-Chaung Parahita school that the boy was going to get his operation. They were very happy and awaiting my reply of the operation date. The boy was also very happy that he will have his bump on his nose removed.
The boy must have all the luck since I always got direct contact with Oliver and he helped the boy get the operation date so quickly. As soon as the date was confirmed, I informed the school to bring the boy to Yangon for his operation. The boy along with the school chair person arrived Yangon on 8th November. Due to some transportation problem, the time they got to Oliver’s office was quite late and the boy could not get admitted to the hospital on that day and they had to stay at the hotel and dinner was arranged for them on that day.
Next morning (9th November), he and his school chairperson, U San Maung, (who accompanied the boy during his hospitalization) went to the hospital to register the boy. He got admitted at the Yangon Neurological Hospital and then was sent to Pin-Lon Special Clinic to get CT scan and blood test. Not to get fright with the environmental change for the boy, I went there with them. Surprisingly, the boy seemed calm all the time. He was just smiling and pleased with the new environment. After the check-ups, we all got back to the Yangon Neurological Hospital at 1:30pm. U San Maung and MCA’s staff went to make registration and the staff showed U San Maung the shop that he had to buy medicine for the boy. Everything was new and so strange for the boy that he looked at everything around him in awe. Even the trains that going passed at the back of the hospital was quite amusing for him to see.
On that day, I also met with the Professor Dr. Myat Thu (the head of Neurological Department). He also encouraged the boy that everything is going to be fine that his bump is not so big and not so serious. Doctor also was very glad that we brought this boy to hospital that he has got some experience that some of the patients could not get the operation done since they can’t even afford transportation to get to Yangon. Since the doctor found out that the boy is an orphan, he tried to squeeze in his busy operation schedule and gave us an operation date as soon as possible. We got the operation date on Friday (12th November) even though he wasn’t on duty that date.
On Friday, I arrived there at 7:30 am to take the photos of the boy before the operation. Unluckily, the notice at the entrance of the hospital stopped me in my track to take photos. The boy went into the operation room at 8:30am and came out at 10:30am. The doctor said that the operation was successful. He invited me to his room and explained the case details as followed:
“His bump is only on the outer surface of the nostril so it is quite easy to take it off. He got that bump because there is a small liquid bag in his brain. One is the size of marble in the left hemisphere and another is the oval shape of 4cm long. That is not a problem for him.”
He also showed the photos of the operation and the stitches he made for the boy. He also told me that whenever I find someone with condition of the boy, please take him/her to this hospital as soon as possible. Since he has been getting the medical and accessories help from Oliver’s group, he is always ready to help them get operation.
During the stay in the hospital, MCA provided all the medical charges and meal for the boy. The things that are needed at the hospital and trip expenses are provided by MHF. Everyone in the hospital said that the boy was very lucky that everything was ready for him. After 5 days of his operation, I have got a phone call from the hospital that the boy is going to be discharged since his wound is so dry and in good condition. They went back to kyite-latt on 19th November (Friday). At first we tried to arrange to send them to visit some places in Yangon, but we could not make it happen unfortunately.
During the time in the hospital, Maung Win Htun took his bath 4 times a day as he was so happy to take a bath in the bathroom. He eats 3 plates of rice for every meal and 2 bowls of Mote-hin-gar every morning. He was also going around the hospital talking with the patients around him. He was also very happy for by other Moegyo volunteers, Ma Thi Thi and Ma Thuzar’s visit.
Last time we visited Pay-Chaung Youth Development Center, we met Maung Win Htun being happy that the bump on his nose was gone and all surgical wounds healed. I’d like to thank Oliver Soe Thet of Myanmar Chefs Association and Prof. Dr. Myat Thu of Yangon General Hospital Neurological Department for helping with Maung Win Htun operation.
On 30 March, the local authorities in Tarlay have estimated that 702 houses were damaged. The Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) reports that 3,152 people are homeless. Initial findings of a rapid assessment indicate that at least 18,000 people residing in 90 villages are affected by the earthquake.
As soon as we saw the photo of this boy from Pay-Chaung Youth Development Center with big cyst on his nose, we all wanted to get him help with his Meningocele condition. We all tried to get in touch with our contacts in Yangon to find a surgeon who is familiar with Meningocele repair while inquiring if the boy himself would like to do it. One day, one of the volunteers shared a forward email she received about a team of German doctors performing pro-bono reconstructive surgeries in Ngapali. We all got excited by the email and tried to confirm the legitimacy of the email and it was to our amazement that it proved to be true. It turned out that Oliver Soe Thet of Myanmar Chefs Association was responsible for bringing in a team of German doctors with Interplast in the country to perform free surgeries. To add to our thrill of knowing that the boy is so lucky to be in good hands of capable and experienced surgeons, the contact email address in the forward email was “Angel”. For more information about Maung Win Htun’s operation, please read the report from the field below:
During the time in the hospital, Maung Win Htun took his bath 4 times a day as he was so happy to take a bath in the bathroom. He eats 3 plates of rice for every meal and 2 bowls of Mote-hin-gar every morning. He was also going around the hospital talking with the patients around him. He was also very happy for by other Moegyo volunteers, Ma Thi Thi and Ma Thuzar’s visit.
