Final Preparations for Bagan!
We are very happy to report the update on preparations for the donation event scheduled in Bagan as part of our Heartland Relief Campaign. We are somewhat delayed in getting this information out, as the recent execution of four democracy activists has increasingly made all parts of the country unsafe, and volunteer and activists are taking greater precautions. Additionally, there have been more internet cuts as well. In any case, we are so pleased to share this full update with you now, and we thank you again for your extraordinary support!
“Recently, our local volunteer team in Bagan has arranged and organized for the ceremonies of alms-food donation to monks, novices and nuns at three different gathering points in Nyaung-U, Old Bagan and New Bagan. In the preparation process, our local team worked on purchasing the rice sacks (typical size of about 51 kg) from the rice mill in the nearest city Pakokku. Since the travel restrictions were increased both by the coup junta’s forces and the resistance groups, our local volunteer team had to collaborate their best with the rice mill owners to be able to pass the checkpoints through the recommendation letters from the respective Nyaung-U Township’s Sangha Nāyaka Committee. As you can imagine, this took quite a bit of time to guarantee we could achieve the rice while also not compromising any of our safety.
When the rice sacks arrived in Old Bagan, our local volunteers worked on sewing the rice sacks of a smaller size (weighing 8.5 kg) and dividing/ putting rice into the smaller sacks to complete by time. Meanwhile, our local volunteer team’s leader had to work together with the Chair Monk of the Sangha Nāyaka Committee to invite the monks, novices and nuns to come and receive our contributions at our gathering points. His assistant monks and some of our volunteers went from one monastery to another to invite the monastics since most of the monasteries and nunneries are located spreading amid the temples, stupas and pagodas in the remote areas from residential wards.
On the previous day before the alms-rice donation ceremonies, the monks from the gathering point monasteries and volunteers had to transport the alms-rice sacks from the monastery where the rice sacks were stored. For the donation day, our local team must prepare 630 rice sacks to the monks and novices in Nyaung-U at the first gathering point from 6.00 am to 7.30 am exactly. In the afternoon at 12.30 pm, our local team plans to contribute the remaining 272 rice sacks to the monks, novices and nuns from the areas of Old Bagan and New Bagan at the second gathering point. On the following day, the last remaining 34 rice sacks were donated to [Redacted] Monastery where there is a population of 100 monks and novices.”