Grand Circle Foundation

Burma associates find community service rewarding in two Burma projects

This past May, more than 40 of our regional associates from Burma, including all of our Program Directors and Trip Leaders, as well as officers and crew members from the RV Paukan, came together to make a difference at two sites in Burma. They worked side by side with local community members and came away inspired.

Giving an old orphanage new life

At the Aye Yeik Mon Girls Orphanage, our associates were joined by 30 of the children as they painted the outer wall and entrance of the orphanage, cleared brush, and collected trash, all to give a much-needed boost to an orphanage now in its 51st year.
Trip Leader Theingi Oo recalls, "We went there to give our loving kindness to those kids and to help change their lives with stronger relationships. By helping them, we understand how to socialize with each other and we also understand the strength of team work. As soon as we arrived, the kids looked at us with their friendly eyes, which made us feel excited. And by the time we left the orphanage, these kids won our hearts."
Trip Leader Ye Min Thet admits that the task seemed daunting at first, "When I learned the previous day what we were going to do, I just imagined what it would be like to work under scorching sun, and I wasn't really happy with the idea. But it was a different story when I was welcomed by those orphaned children with big and innocent smiles. I was so excited and ready to help them by participating in that event. We grabbed the hoes, spades and trash bins and got down to work. It was hot working under the sun, but I was extremely happy. Why? Because we knew we had pitched in with something that we could do for this community."

Making a school more secure
Soon after, associates built a fence to surround the compound of the Setpagone Post-Primary School. The task required some heavy lifting, literally, as the first task was to carry concrete posts to the perimeter, before anchoring them in sand and installing barbed wire.
As Trip Leader Thiha Kyaw Win says, "When I saw the school, I was reminded of my childhood studying in such a small and crowded classrooms made of bamboo and wood. However, those children are very lucky because Grand Circle chose their school to support."
Trip Leader Lwin Lwin Mar explains that things weren't always easy for the school, "The school was very small and it had flooded in the rainy season, so the tables were very old and damaged. But with the support of the Grand Circle Foundation, the school can be renovated."
The memory has stayed with Lwin Lwin, who says, "I have come to love community service from this experience."