Education is one of the key tools in any kind of development. Those who have been lucky enough to have been provided an education will tell you that there is a difference between someone who has had the opportunity and someone who hasn’t. In the village of Kawt Nwet within Laibwe Township located in the Kayin State of Myanmar’s South-East, the local school was in dire need of repair and renovation. Classroom space was insufficient to cater to the number of students enrolled and night classes proved almost impossible with little or no electricity. The school roof was damaged and safety hazards were of concern to teachers and students alike.
For numerous villages across Myanmar, locals cannot obtain the capital required to repair schools let alone have the provision to send their children to school in the first place. The Kayin State in particular compared to Myanmar’s other states and regions suffers from high illiteracy rates, severe poverty and conflict.
In an effort to improve education standards and learning environments, ADRA Myanmar teamed up with ADRA Norway and NORAD to establish the SEAQE ‘Strengthening Education Access, Quality and Equity in South East Myanmar’ project. One of the key activities of this project is to renovate school buildings that are deemed most vulnerable.
In hearing of the situation in Kawt Nwet and their wish to become a middle school to benefit their village and those surrounding, ADRA Myanmar mobilized staff and the local community to work together in order to renovate the new school.
Today, Kawt Nwet School boasts numerous classrooms fitted with electricity and large enough to cater to the number of students enrolled, job opportunities for local villagers, and fresh school supplies. In addition, students who receive an education are able to go on and become teachers themselves in order to continue the cycle and create sustainable development.
When asked what the community would like to say, they replied “we are very happy and appreciate the work of ADRA Myanmar, ADRA Norway and NORAD in supporting us with the things that we cannot afford by ourselves”.
*Reported By: SEAQE Project Team
Written By: Emma McCrow, Communications Officer
Photo: © 2016 ADRA Myanmar
