A Mon Teacher Living on the Right Side of History

When giving donations to a general fund, it can be hard to know where your actual contribution ends up. That’s why excerpts like the following are so powerful, in which we hear from a teacher from Mon State. They speak to what so many Burmese are living under, and how valuable your donation continues to be.

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“I cannot earn my salary since February so it is difficult. It is hard to find other jobs or start a small business during this time too. The cost of groceries are also increasing. However, I am determined to stay on this strike till the end.

I am a high school teacher and I’m 28. When the coup happened, I was so angry! All my young students just had so much to look forward to… and now it is all gone.

I immediately joined the CDM movement on Feb 2, the next day, and I joined many protests personally. I am not going to let the state function at all! After two months, I received letters that threatened to put me in jail if I didn’t go back to work. I’ve seen that the junta is arresting doctors on strike so I’ve been running and hiding and fearing for my safety. I am thinking how we can be safe and support CDM. I truly believe we are going to win.

I joined CDM because I want to be on the right side of history. It’s been 4-5 months since I was paid, and now it’s literally hard to put food on the table. The bank also wants me to pay back my loans right now. It’s difficult but I know it will work out in the end. We must win.

I joined CDM since Feb 8 and I’ve been hiding ever since. The school has threatened to fire me if I don’t return to work. I really don’t care if they fire me and I’m prepared to face the consequences. There are also people who are more unfortunate than me and I urge everyone to look after them.”