water wells for 2010

The team met Andrew at his humble abode which houses about 45 people, 37 of whom are children & youths from the faraway states who are either orphans or whose parents are unable to care for them. Andrew and his wife take them in. Their stories of how they get through the rainy seasons (floods!), or months when supplies are low, depict a man & woman’s courage to love despite of lack & great difficulties.

Not only do they have these children to care for, Andrew returns to his home state a couple of times each year for the water well projects. Since 2007, when we began raising awareness about the living condition and the scarcity of water in Sagaing, we have had friends, family and even a school and a company partner with Andrew to build these wells. Both Andrew and ourselves had no idea how it would happen, even the construction of these wells and what would be best in those conditions which they live in. But two years into the project and 14 wells have since been built in three villages that are home to about 550 families. And the reports have all been of thanksgiving.

Andrew showed us the video clips he took of this year’s water well projects and we were once again reminded of how important it is for us who have to help those who need.

Over the past month, we have had families come together to give wells and different ones who have been so generous in giving. For next year… 8 wells will be built in two more villages.

i was thirsty, and you gave me drink

We are grateful for every well that has been given.

{ He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed. /Proverbs 19:17 }

stay tuned

love.myanmar team.09 returned last friday after a week of visiting villages and meeting with our field partners. We are so glad to have had on board six other team members, three of whom are youths from our church and their first trip out of Singapore without their parents, and friends who have been following & supporting the work that we do, to come see what love.myanmar projects are about. It was a good trip and we will be updating you on how the livestock farms and water well projects are doing soon. Stay tuned (:

what you & your friends can do to make a difference

If you are looking to doing something meaningful this Christmas & New Year, how about gathering your friends to “build a well“. If you gather 10 friends and each gives USD20, you can build a well in a remote village in Myanmar. In a region where there is little or no access to clean water, and where sickness like malaria is rampant among the very young & old. With an additional USD5, a donor’s plaque can be made with your very own inscription.

There are other needful items which can warm the hearts of many in this cool/dry season. For example, blankets. If each family receives 2 blankets, USD20 will keep 5 families warm.

Do something special with your group of friends this Christmas & New Year

love.myanmar.09

Ken & Addy will be leading a team of 8 to Myanmar this December. The details of the trip are as follows:

Date: December 4 – 11, 2009

what will we be doing?

We will be following up with our partners in the field. In my previous visit in December 2008, 3 families were given seed money  (USD200) to start an income-generating project in their community. We have since heard reports of pigs & goats multiplying.

momma has given birth!

The income for these projects will fund for the running of the youth hostel, education for orphans & foster children, community blessing and the purchase of land & building materials for a community centre in their own village. We will give an update when we return.

We will also be planning for next year’s water well projects in Sagaing, Upper Myanmar. We have to date 14 water wells in 3 villages. As water is needful especially in that region, we will continue to build water wells till every village in Sagaing have access to clean water. Each water well costs USD200-250, and the season to dig for wells is from December – April every year, during the dry season. Would you like to join us in this effort to see every village have access to clean water?

clean water for families

the men in the village gather to build wells

We hope to also purchase blankets and other needful items for the village folk in this season of Christmas. This is dependent on how much we are able to raise before our trip. e.g: Warm blankets @USD2 ea; Toothbrush @USD0.50 ea.

blankets at the wholesale market

how can you help?

Here are some items which we are collecting for our upcoming trip. if you or anyone you know have any of these items, and would like to give away, pass ‘em over.

1) clothes (pants, t-shirts, skirts, sweaters for all ages)
2) digital camera (for our field partner, khup. he uses it for updates/documentation. the one we gave him a few years back is no longer working.) *received*
3) stationery
4) stickers
5) hair accessories (tie-bands, hair-bands, ribbons, clips)

J’zu thin ba de! (thank you in burmese)

We welcome any other form of help. Get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you. There is no gift, too small.

In this season of thanksgiving, we wish you much joy & love.

love & blessings!

Ken & Addy

love.myanmar.08

love myanmar 2008

The local secondary school which has adopted Myanmar for its CIP (Community Involvement Project) 2008 has indeed been a blessing to the people in Myanmar. In October, Khup and Addy gave a summary of Love Myanmar at the school’s last assembly of the year.

Here is the report:

1. Livestock Farming: 3 startup farms for families who are keen to do livestock farming for their livelihood
2. Water Wells: 5 water wells in Upper Myanmar in a village of 400 families & 6 water handpumps for families in Outer Yangon
3. Clothes & Stationery: ~300kg
4. Cyclone Nargis Relief Fund

We may ask, what can a dollar do? But if everyone chips in a little of what they have, we would be amazed at the impact we are able to make in the lives of others.

In December, we’ll be visiting our friends in the fields. We hope to bring you more news then! Blessings!

water filter for a high school

In our recent conversation with one of our partners in myanmar, we’ve come to know of a high school that is situated near their orphanage, affected by contaminated water, resulting in dysentry amongst the students. The head master of the school has made an appeal for donations so that a water purification tank can be bought. A water purification tank to support 1500 students in the school costs about SGD550. They have to date only been able to collect a small sum from parents of students from the school and other members of the community. Would you like to give to this cause? Please email us at: the.sheep.pen@gmail.com

Every blessing!

news from the field

Dear Friends,

We bring you news from the field. Here’s part of an email from our local contact in Yangon:

“…As we talked to some few people, we realized that they all who escaped from disaster have some thing to share how they have escaped. Though they were swept by the same storm,  though they were wiped out by the same deadly huge tide and though they have liveth at the same village and region, they all have different stories how they have escaped from the deadly disaster. One pregnant woman with 3 years old daughter who about to get birth told us her experience with tears from her eyes how they were escaped. She said that “my husband put all of us at that higher ground level and safe place. As soon as he knew that  we all are safe, then he went back to the water to save other people. After saving a few people, then he lost into the sea because another tide wiped out again. Even now, we did not see his dead body.” Friends, what kind of word would be the best for her? We did not know how to comfort her. This is only one sample that I gave you. There are many many stories that we have heard. They said there are still many people remain in that area and many survivors are waiting for helps. They said that we have heard that there are aids even from around the world but no help to them yet.

 

To all who has given generously, I am reminded of a scripture passage from Matt 25

34″Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Even though the news reports paint us a very bleak picture of hope for these people, we are not disheartened. As Christians, we are able to see how God is turning ashes into beauty.

Perhaps in some similar ways like Aceh through the Tsunami, there are still many questions that we don’t have answers for, but as we step back to take in the fuller picture, we realise the revealed hand of God is working even more swiftly and deeply in the hearts and lives of the people of Myanmar.

Even in the midst of calamity, the passion and compassion of the people is increasing even more!

We count ourselves extremely privileged to be able to witness and partner with our Lord and see Him reveal His great love for this nation. Thank you too, for sharing with us on this journey. As you continue to care for the people, may you also be greatly touched by His exceedingly abundant grace.

 ‘For the earth will be covered with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters covers the sea’.   - Habakkuk 2:14

 

cyclone nargis: disaster relief efforts

Hi friends

I’m quite sure we’ve heard and read about Cyclone Nargis that hit Myanmar on Saturday.

Over the past few days we have been trying to get in touch with our friends in Myanmar and we were finally able to make contact with one of them today.

The situation on the ground is very desperate. While the downtown damage is significant, the destruction in the outskirts is unimaginable. Every wooden/bamboo house is destroyed and the only buildings left standing are the concrete ones in the town centres. Millions of people are homeless and shelterless. They sorely lack food and clean water.

Pastor Andrew told us that in Yangon while some agencies are already on the ground extending help, the needs are too overwhelming and the main majority of the people have no access to help.

At the ophanage that he operates from his home on the fringes of Yangon, there are now more than 60 people seeking shelter. Water has run up to 4 feet deep but at least they have a roof over their head. Their immediate need is clean water. Even though the rain has stopped, the water all around them is contaminated, even their water well. By the grace of God, their generator is still working and they are able to have some electricity. They are sharing what they have but it is still too little for the growing number of people coming to their home seeking help.

Food prices has skyrocketted and even if they have money, it is still very hard to find food sources to buy from, especially those areas inaccessible to town centres.

We have pledged to wire over some money to help them cope with the desperate situation and we are raising about $3K for this first phase. There is another friend who is in another more remote place whom we are trying to get in touch with. Pastor Andrew has volunteered to make the arduous trip there to check on them as well as to share the relief money with them.

In some parts of the city, remittance service is still available.

As many of you know, we were planning our trip to Yangon in the last week week of May to the first week of June, but it seems that our visa application will not be attended to as the military junta has made an immigration block on foreigners due to their coming constitution voting.

Nonetheless, we will still try to get the entry permit into Myanmar as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the brother of one of our friends whom we haven’t been able to contact is heading back to Yangon this Saturday (10 May, 2008). We will be packing as much water purification tablets and other medications as he is able to bring with him.

We know there are too many needs and too little resources, but we also know that every life counts. Every single person, every family, if we can help, we will help. We don’t know how long the remittance service will be opened for, but we are doing our best to give what we can, while we can.

If anyone feel inclined to partner with us to help, please call us.
Ken +65 93702550
Addy +65 81612744

the wells have been completed

We are mighty pleased to announce the completion of all 5 water wells; in a village where its people could only have dreamed of having clean water. That dream has now come true.

Click here for pictures.

When we share what we have

Lives are touched and changed.

In partnership with East View Secondary School: love.myanmar project

There are more villages like this where water is scarce. Let’s make a difference, one family at a time.

new kids on the block

In our previous field report, we mentioned a family other than Thun Thun who was given a set of goats to start up a small goat business. Here is a picture of how their little herd is doing.