Myanmar

Photo: A local woman is happy to work at our farm, which provides for her and her community in an empowering way.

We are pleased to share the good news that preparation for the rice harvest is going very well, according to schedule. There has been more heavy rain and flooding than this time last year, but reports from the field tell us that they expect the weather to clear up and provide excellent conditions for the harvest in late November or December. At this point in the process, 1-2 women are preparing the field for planting, working 8 hours a day. They are healthy and happy to work on the rice farm as it provides a staple in the orphans’ and the community’s diets. Our native team in Myanmar is able to serve almost 300 meals each day to orphans and staff in four different homes in the country.

Photo: Girls at one of our orphan homes are excited to start the school year with new uniforms, purchased with profits from our native-led rice farm and piggery projects.

We are happy to report that around 100 children from our orphan homes in Myanmar went back to school this month, which is an increase in enrollment from last year. They were happy to receive backpacks, new uniforms, writing books and pens, shoes, and umbrellas — much-needed items for school that they would not have otherwise, as they come from backgrounds that would never have afforded them such opportunities. Their education is made possible by profits from our 12-acre farmland and piggery project along with donations made by our orphan sponsors.

Photo: One of the orphans plays in the rice straw from our recent harvest.

We’re very pleased to report that the second harvest at our Myanmar rice farm was a huge success. The crop yielded approximately three tons of rice per acre at the 12 acre farm, or approximately 30,000 KGs. We’re extremely overjoyed with the result. It’s a vast increase over last year’s harvest thanks to improved efficiency, higher quality fertilization and better irrigation techniques employed by our native team.

Photo: Boys at one of our Myanmar orphan homes are happy to receive new school supplies purchased with profits from our farmland enterprise!

In Myanmar, our farmland enterprise efforts are empowering orphans who have come from child labor situations. Recent profits from our rice farm and piggery ventures provided the orphans with new school supplies and umbrellas for the rainy season. It’s this model of sustainability in action that makes our programs more than just a rescue operation.