Overview:
By offering pre-school education, our partners educate and care for approximately 100 children in a very impoverished area in a slum area of Yangon. Our partners also provide 150 “scholarships” to families struggling to keep their children at school. This allows our partners to continue to work with the child and families over an extended time. Providing education allows parents the opportunity to work through the day and take better care of their families. Children are also taught important health and hygiene information which they pass on to their families.
What we like about it:
Following on from a previous 3-year cycle with our partners, we have seen a high standard of care and preparation for school at each of the centres. This is a holistic program, with our partner reaching out to families, not just the children, and assisting them where possible. Within the pre-schools, the children receive a quality education and the vital preparation needed to attend the government school. Without the pre-schools these children would not get into school!
Budget:
Year 2 (of 3): $25,000
This is the second year of a three-year cycle of funding (Year 1 – $21,000, Year 3 – $23,000). Entrust is providing around 50% of the costs needed, as our partner becomes more sustainable and finds income from other sources. In addition to teaching, each pre-school child is provided with a school uniform, books, a satchel and pencils. The budget also covers 150 scholarships for some children who have graduated from the pre-schools and are now at primary and secondary school. The school year start date is 1 May.
The Need:
Children are raised in a perpetual cycle of poverty and are therefore at high risk of abuse, trafficking or prostitution. They are unable to go straight from a slum lifestyle to a school environment. This means many never attend school, reducing their opportunities to break out of the poverty trap.
Life Change:
