A monastic school in the Sagaing Hills needs your help
Our local team continues its investigation into how monastic sites are faring one year into the coup. Please consider a contribution to our Meditator’s Gratitude Campaign to support these current needs, either by following our donation link or via Wave at 09942359202.
In the 2019-20220 academic year, there were 673 students in total at the [Name Withheld] Parahita Monastic School in the Sagaing Hills starting at kindergarten. In this academic year, 2021-2022, there are only 171 students. The reasons for this are as follows:
(1) Due to the economic crisis, parents have been disrobing their children so they can work and help earn money for their family and help them survive, even though the monastery provides free education and accommodations. The compassionate abbot of the monastery has sadly witnessed some of his students working randomly as physical laborers, which is not suitable for the teens.
(2) Although some students want to continue their education, they are responsible for taking care of their younger sisters and brothers, and/or grandparents if their parents passed away during the third wave of covid-19.
(3) Many of the other students, however, lost their ability to remain there as a pupil because of their family’s financial hardship.
(4) Although there had previously been regular fund-raising activities for the sustainability of the monastic school, these activities were curtailed by the pandemic.
However, if donors can support alms-food and clothing for the students, it will be a great help to the compassionate abbot and the monastery. In this way, the financial stress on families will be reduced, and more children will be able to return to the classrooms, with fewer concerns about the economic crises of their families.
So this is our humble request to you, the donors. We would be happy to explain the situation further as needed, and discuss with you how to create a well-planned and helpful program that will support the education of many children.