Schools in Myanmar starts in June and this is how Families Together experienced it:

We arrived at the first village on May 3; we were warmly welcomed by the local leaders and teachers on the way. It was very interesting to see that every one who was in the village the time we arrived greeted and blessed us with their endless words of thanks. Our material supports had already arrived at the village before us and thus the children crowded us with happy faces and great excitements.

We had the meeting with the leaders, pastors and teachers of the village the same night. We asked them some questions as we prepared. The next day we had a grand opening service with the community feast. We photographed all the children teachers and the school. Some men told me that the day was one of the few most significant days in the village history. Children jumped, danced and shout with joy, parents were smiling; leaders were thrilled to say their words of thanks; teachers were swift enough in their works. It was really a happy day indeed for us also.

This school has 58 students. There are three hired private teachers and two government teachers. The village has a school committee who will be responsible for the smooth running of the school. We appointed one man as a village school supervisor who should attend the school at least half day a week to encourage and closely inspect all the works of the teachers.

The next day we went to the second village. We did every thing similar as we did in the first village. They butchered a cow and celebrated the opening service of the schools with grand community feast. The joy and happiness they had were inexpressible. People said their endless words of thanks. The youth group came up together for the works of the school, fencing and cleansing it. The children danced and jumped with their new umbrellas which we distributed. To their wish, the rain came the afternoon and they all got out to the open ground with their new umbrellas. What a fun day it was!

This school has 90 students. There are four hired private teachers and one government teacher. The village also has a school committee. One man was appointed as the school supervisor as in the first village.

Both in the two villages, we told them not to depend totally on us for the development of their schools, that we are just helping them to stand and work for their own development.

We believed that the villages benefit a lot in different areas from this project. It relieved the parents a lot in their expenses for their children education, of course they could have never done like this before; it give great excitements in their hearts; it also give them unity in other areas of their village development; makes families stay together, village populations stronger.