So Much More than Bricks and Mortar
An MBSPF-funded school brings the promise of a brighter
future for farming families.

Text and photos: Quade Hermann

“If people have no education, they have no life.”

The words of U Kyaw Kyaw Tun, the President of They Phyu Chaung Village Council, are met with nods of approval from the 50 or so parents sitting along the walls inside the old school room. The room is half renovated; the bamboo walls and roof have been torn down and replaced with concrete and corrugated metal. Close by, a second new and larger school building is also taking shape thanks to the volunteer work of the villagers and the financial support of the Myanmar/Burma Schools Project Foundation. Together the two school buildings represent a turning point for this farming village of about 250 households just north of Yangon.

Maung Maung Gyi (centre, on phone), head of the construction company working with MBSPF to build schools in Myanmar. He’s passionate about what the new school can do for the families in this village. Beside him is Naga Sema, a monk from the nearby meditation centre, who has personally donated a lot to the development of They Phyu Chaung over the years.