Mogok Monastic Schools
Mogok is a city located in Mandalay Region, and is known for its ruby, jade, and gold mines. The area has a long history of mining, with many families relying on this industry for their livelihood. However, the military coup in Myanmar has brought significant challenges and difficulties to the country, including economic struggles that have impacted the ability of these monastic schools to support the children of mining families. As the following report from our local leader states, these monastic schools provide free education, meals, and accommodation for students of all ethnic and religious backgrounds, including young novices and nuns. Yet more recently, they have struggled to continue supporting these students due to the economic crisis and the long periods of time that their parents are away from home working in the mines. Despite these challenges, the schools and their teachers have remained dedicated to providing education and support for these children. They have worked hard to find ways to continue helping the students, but they are in need of assistance to meet their needs.
If you are able to do so, please consider making a donation to help meet the needs of these schools and the children they serve. Also, spreading the word about the needs of these schools through social media or other online platforms may also help to raise awareness and attract support. Every little bit helps, and any contribution you are able to make could make a big difference in the lives of these children and their families.
I have just had a series of conversations with a supporter of monastic school programs in Mogok who has requested support, if at all possible. He is in touch with five separate schools whose total population comes to 998 students.
All of the schools which are boarding schools that currently offer free education both for lay students of all ethnic and religious backgrounds, as well as young novices/nuns. They also provide meals and accommodation daily.
Some may know Mogok as the place where many ruby mines, jade mines and gold digs are located. For this reason, most of the students are from the families who are employed in small-scale gold and jade mines in Kachin State, and most of their parents go and work in the gold digs along the Ayeyarwady River in the bordering areas of Kachin State, Mandalay Region and Sagaing Region, and Thabeikkyin township on the Mandalay-Mogok road.
The principal abbot of one of these monastic schools said to me recently, "The students' parents go and work in the gold rushes or jade mines. They did not come back to Mogok for a long time, sometimes even they are years and years away. Some of them left their children behind, to be looked after by their aging parents: these old grandparents then come and leave them at these monastic schools to be cared for as much as we can. The rest brought their children together with them to the mines, and the kids do not go to any school: they just play in their dangerous living areas (huts on the sandbar where their gold rushes are located) or some older children aged 12, 13 or 14 help their parents."
Some of such these parents were requested by the compassionate abbots to leave and educate their kids at their monastic schools. Due to the severe economic crisis now overtaking our country, it has become a big burden for these compassionate abbots to maintain their promise, because most of the parents do not come back for such long periods. Simply put, these poor children are left alone, and now the Mogok monastic schools can scarcely continue to support them as before. Yet they are so compassionate and thus they couldn't say a word to demand that parents bring their children back. For these poor kids' education, the monastics and teachers always worked hard and struggled to find any possible means to continue helping them.
Anyway, for this reason, these monastic schools are deserved to be given a hand and please, kindly consider a contribution for these monasteries.