The charitable organisation Enfants du Mékong grew from the creation of the Association des Amis du Pensionnat Saint-Joseph in Laos in 1958. Its mission is to educate and train young people in South East Asia to enable them to improve their living conditions, and it now operates in seven different countries in the region through sponsorship programmes and the development of infrastructure for education.
Quality education is the first step to eradicate poverty in developing countries. Until today South East Asian nations are still developing their economy and the level of academic establishments do not always allow the students to meet the required level expected by employers. In many situation, many children live very far away from the main cities where most schools and universities are located. Hence Enfants du Mekong has decided to start running educational centres that allow children to be fostered, taken care of, fed and helped in their studies with extra classes in this part of the globe.
2014 saw the beginning of TFWA Care’s support for Enfants du Mékong, through the construction of a boarding house for senior high school and university students at Inle Lake in a remote region of Myanmar. In the following years, our support was extended in the Philippines and Thailand.
TFWA Care and Les Enfants du Mekong (EDM) continued their partnership in the expansion and refurbishment of schools in South East Asia. This year in Myanmar, TFWA Care's financial aid enabled the reconstruction of EDM's educational center in the rural province of Loikaw where more than half of its local population live in poverty. For several years, EDM has been operating in an old school in Loikaw as its learning centre. It has been opening its doors to so many students beyond what it can take in. To cater to its fast growing student population, TFWA Care provided donation and aided in the reconstruction of a brand new educational center with three new classrooms and a canteen. This once dilapidated school is now a sturdy and modern learning centre open to the students in Loikaw and its neighboring village.
Before the reconstruction, the classrooms also served as the canteen. Often times, the students were unable to concentrate because of the crowd and the stench. The environment was not the ideal setting for learning nor to move freely during recess. Today, the students at EDM's educational center in Loikaw have ample space to study without interruption. More importantly, they can study with dignity and graduate with more positive memories that they deserve.
In the Tak District of North Thailand, schools are scarce and kids rarely have access to education. TFWA Care's donation enabled Les Enfants du Mekong in the construction of three new kindergarten classrooms and a library in the remote village of Poblaki on the mountains of Tak. There is only one kindergarten and primary school that operates in Poblaki built by the late Father Quintard. The primary school was in very poor condition with far too many students than it can handle. Over the years, there has been a steady increase of students coming from the neighbouring villages and the school urgently required the expansion. With the financial aid from TFWA Care, the school can now accomodate more than 100 students at a time and have ample space to pursue other activities.
The education system in Myanmar has suffered from major dysfunction and terrible lack of resources caused by decades of dictatorship in the nation. Outside its capital, there are hardly schools that can accommodate its youth.
Last year TFWA Care funded the enlargement of the only primary school at Sisong Village to provide up to 10th grade education. The aid helped construct three new classrooms to accommodate 8-10 grades. Sisong is a remote village located in the mountains bordering the south of Shan and Kayah State of Myanmar. In the past, the children of this remote province were only able to finish grade 7 education because of the lack of resources. Sisong is accessible only by simple trails on foot or motorbike. Because of this situation, locals are forced to stop schooling at this very early stage.
With the TFWA Care grant, Les Enfants du Mékong was able to add three classrooms and provide quality education up to grade 10 in Sisong. Every boy and girl should have the right to a quality education so that they can have more chances in life.
‘Good things happen only if we make them happen’
