A Girl’s Story from Keep Girls Safe, Miss Pin

A Girl’s Story: Pin

I have 7 siblings which I am the 5th. My mother became a single mom of 7 children right after my father passed away. She worked very hard to raise her children. She worked at her small farm or sometimes she was hired by others to help out on their farm. She never stops working so she could pay her children to go to school. It was a very tough time in my family. Two of my bigger sisters had to marry when they were just 18 and 19 years old. Next, my third bigger sister was about to graduate from grade 12, but she has no chance to do so because she was kidnapped to be a bride. Regarding my tribe’s culture, this has been practicing a long time ago and still happening (rarely now except in a very remote area), most of them are not receiving a proper education, they don’t know what human rights are. I can say that many girls including me in the village are at high risk of this norm. From that event, my mom realized that home is not a safe place for the other 2 daughters anymore, so she asked for help and sought shelter. My sister and I stayed at a shelter in Phayao province when I was in grade 4 for only 1 year and this shelter closed down. My mom sought another shelter for us until I graduated grade 6.

As time goes by, my mom decided to get married and moved into her new husband’s house. This made four of us, my sisters, my brother, and I had to stay at mom’s new husband’s house because we have no relatives or cousins in my previous village to take care of us. Later, mom has a son with her new husband before he was arrested. I did not get a chance to continue my education after I finished grade 6. Then, when I moved in with mom, things got to settle, I went to the school in the village. I didn’t go to school regularly as I need to look after my little brother while mom went to work on a farm alone to feed the family. I was struggling with my study, with God’s grace, the SDA pastor overheard my situation. He stepped in and helped me by contacting the Keep Girls Safe Project of the ADRA agency. Here at KGS shelter, I received another life opportunity to have a safe place to stay, learning new life skills every day, no more hunger, learning how to play a musical instrument that I never know how to play or see before, importantly, I got to know God. Living with KGS makes me a better person and I can see my potential, I learn many things from the shelter and the church.

As I graduate from high school, I will continue my higher education in faculty in nursing at Asia Pacific International University. Being a nurse is my dream, so I can take care of my family member when they get sick and I want to help the patient who is suffering from sickness. I know I will feel happy when they feel better. Also, I can provide healthcare advice to people who need it. I know the feeling of happiness when we receiving warm hands from someone when we are very suffering or need help. Just like me when I was younger and I got help from ADRA.

 

From a Housewife to an Ambitious Entrepreneur

From a Housewife to an Ambitious Entrepreneur

From a Housewife to an Ambitious Entrepreneur

Bar Nu’s family depended solely on her husband’s income as she had no employment. It wasn’t easy to cover the household expenses and her son’s school fees with one income. Because of the family’s economic struggles, Bar Nu wanted to learn a new skill to help support her family. Her strong desire led her to join ADRA’s hair dressing course. “I decided to attend ADRA’s hair dressing course because I wanted to learn and open a hair dressing shop in the future,” said Bar Nu.

At ADRA’s hair dressing training, Bar Nu learned hair straightening and curling, hair washing and steaming, foot and hand spa treatments, and other beauty therapy skills. Upon finishing her course, Bar Nue worked at her classmate Mu Nwee Lah’s shop. “The skills I acquired from ADRA’s hair dressing course are very useful,” said Bar Nu.

At the shop where Bar Nu currently works, there are about seven to eight customers a day who come to have their hair washed. However, on days when the shop is doing hair curling or hair straightening, there are only two to three customers, as these services require more time to complete.

Bar Nu’s pay varies, depending on the customers at the shop on a particular day. “I get 50 to 300 baht per day,” said Bar Nu. With the pay she receives Bar Nu is able to support her son’s education and have savings to buy materials for her own hair dressing. “I plan to save up and open my own shop in the future, and I will do my best to expand the shop as needed,” says Bar Nu.

 

A Passionate Teacher’s Aspiration

A Passionate Teacher’s Aspiration

A Passionate Teacher’s Aspiration

Theramu Paw Moo, 59, a mother of four children, was born in Kai Der Village, Kai Der District, Kler Lwee Hlu Township. Being born in a poor family, life was very difficult for Theramu Paw Moo. “I didn’t have enough food to eat,” she recalls.

The difficult life of Theramu Paw Moo’s family was worsened when the civil war broke out in 1974. Attending schooling became more challenging for Theramu and her family. Her family had to move to Ler Doh, so Theramu can safely attend school.

Despite all of the challenging circumstances Theramu struggled to continue her studies until she finished high school. “I had a burning heart to study and I studied at the primary and secondary school in my village,”

Upon finishing high school, Theramu took up a teaching job in her village in 9090 and taught there for four years. Unfortunately, the following year the Burmese armies invaded the region where she lived they destroyed the houses and burned the rice barns.

Theramu and her family had to flee from her village to safety. She and her family arrived in Mae Ra Ma Luang Camp (in Thailand) on the 15th of June 1995.

Since the time of her arriving to the camp in 1995, Theramu has been teaching hygiene at the No.1 Primary School, to third graders. Later in 2013, she was promoted as a head teacher.  Theramu has been a teacher for 25 years in the No.1 Primary School. She shared her passion for teaching saying, “I become a teacher because I wanted to pass on my knowledge and I want to educate young children.” “My aspiration to be a teacher is that students will be able to become effective leaders for their people, community and for their country,” she added.

Although the situation in the camps are challenging, Theramu has a strong desire for teaching as she was a student going through all the same troubles, she said “I decided that I will continue to teach and educate the students generation to generation as much as I can because sharing knowledge and education is very important to the new generation.” She also shared her hope for her students’ future saying, “I have a dream that someday if Myanmar becomes a peaceful country, the students in the camp and in Myanmar will get the same opportunities on their education.”

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