With help from Missio supporters in England and Wales, a new boarding house in Mine Lunn Parish, Myanmar, is providing a brighter future for children in poor areas.

Mine Lunn was officially established as a parish in Taungnu diocese in 2004. There are twelve outlying villages with a Catholic population of 2,680. The parish is 35 miles away from Taungnu town. The local people are Karen: the third biggest ethnic group in Myanmar, and over a third of Karens are Christian.

The Karen people suffered discrimination and violence under the former military regime; under the former military government, the army burnt hundreds of Karen villages, and displaced thousands of people.

No time for school

Many of the Karen people in this area earn a living by gardening and farming. But they are often trapped in a cycle of poverty, with little prospect for development and education, or access to basic services. To make ends meet, most children work in the farms and earn money for the family instead of attending school.

Because parents simply can’t afford to pay school fees, Mine Lunn parish provides their children from the outlying villages with free food, clothing, healthcare and education. And to help them continue their education past primary school level, the parish built a small children’s boarding house. It was a vital place for the community, as it meant older children had somewhere safe to stay while they attended secondary school in town. But sadly, the building was in a poor state of repair and became too unsafe to use.

You helped create a safe, beautiful boarding house

Thanks to donations and a generous legacy from Missio supporters in England and Wales, the children’s boarding house in Mine Lunn has been replaced with a new, safe building. Now, the children from surrounding villages have a safe place to stay, learn, pray and grow. And thanks to funding from Missio in England and Wales, the local community is able to maintain the building.

Fr. Bernardino Ne Ne, Missio National Director of Myanmar, said:

“I wish to express my sincerest appreciation and heartfelt gratitude for your financial support for the maintenance of the Infant Jesus’ Boarding House. With the funds you sent, the boarding house accepts and nurtures 26 children from Mine Lunn and surrounding villages for this academic year 2019-2020.”

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