Back to School - Burma

In early May 2008, Cyclone Nargis cut a broad and devastating swath through the southwest delta of Burma, the poorest country in southeast Asia. Along with tens of thousands of deaths, the storm jeopardized food and water supplies, caused immense physical and psychological suffering, and left the educational system in shambles.

Since the storm, two NCP Learning Tours have travelled to Burma. Along with the moral support of these visits, we have sent $5000 to help Burmese children in the delta get back to school by providing school supplies, uniforms and tuition support, and $10,000 for projects to help mothers start income-producing projects to earn money to send their children to school. There's still a long way to go. "Some children had to be sent home from school last year. They had been waiting for support to arrive--it never did," lamented Naw Tha Wah, coordinator of Baptist aid to children affected by Nargis.

Help us send these children back to school!       

Cost per child for a year's education: $50/$100 (primary/secondary school)
Support for women's projects: $25 for fish-paste making supplies / $40 thatch-making supplies

As always, NCP sends 100 percent of contributions to our special projects to the projects themselves.

Our partners: NCP is working with a consortium of Christian and community groups to identify communities least served by existing relief programs. Scholarships are given out by our partners according to their criteria, with orphans and very poor children receiving first priority.

Our method: NCP avoids government finance charges or redirection of aid by working through partners with proven channels of accessing our funds and getting the best exchange rate. And all the funds are used to purchase materials rather than pay for administration, thanks to the work of church agencies and volunteers.

Want to visit? Want to visit? Join the January 2011 Learning Tour to Burma, where part of the itinerary will be spending two nights in the southwestern delta area ravaged by Cyclone Nargis.

Want to learn more? Additional information and photos about the on-going political and economic crisis in Burma.