The fighting in Myanmar between the government army on the one hand and civilian militias on the other continues unabated. As a result, it is currently not safe in many villages and towns. Education has been at a standstill for three years as government school staff have laid off work in protest of the military coup. One of the few schools that ran at full capacity last school year is the PDO High School in Mandalay, where we as a foundation are active.
It is now summer recess and many children - who were able to return safely to their place of birth - have returned home. Still, the school is busier than ever. In many places in Myanmar it is not safe and every day there are parents with their children at the school gate. The dormitories of the boarding school are overcrowded.
Many children and young people have seen violence, felt great fear or seen people being arrested by the military before their very eyes. That causes stress and trauma. The staff of our living group The Golden House and the teachers of our Bridging Program experience this every day. Children and young people are quiet, sad, scared, self-absorbed and much more.
Together with the staff and teachers, we have decided to give training to a large group of children and young people every weekend during the summer holidays, in which they can express their thoughts and feelings through all kinds of methods. In addition, we give our staff members and teachers intervision, so that they can deal with all these traumas themselves.
We are assisted in this by our partner the Friendshifts Foundation and a number of local and international coaches. The training sessions and intervision are successful and that makes us happy!
