Wide Horizons Community Projects 2013-14

Shelter from the Storm: A New Roof for New Blood School


Each year, rainy season brings clean
air, lush vegetation, and a welcome
respite from the heat, dust, and fires
that plague Mae Sot during the
summer. But for the boarding
students at New Blood school, the
rain also brings sleepless nights,
damp clothes, and wet supplies as
the water leaks in from the thatch
roof. The leaking water disrupts
kindergarten class during the
daytime, and it soaks the bedding of
the 35 boarding students who sleep
in the classroom each night.


Because the funds that support migrant schools in Mae Sot are rapidly evaporating and moving
elsewhere, the New Blood headmaster, Zaw Lwin Oo, faced some difficult budget decisions. In
order to repair the roof of the classroom cum dormitory, he would have had to cut funding
from more essential needs like food, teacher salaries, or school supplies.

Fortunately, Wide Horizons
students put their classroom
learning to use and wrote and
submitted a funding proposal for a
new roof to Room to Grow
Foundation. Excited to work with
a school they had funded in the
past, Room to Grow accepted
Wide Horizons funding proposal
to repair and rebuild the roof.
After the new roof was completed
the teacher who sleeps in the
building expressed her
appreciation. She said shes very
happy that she doesnt have to
worry about the roof leaking on
the students, which will help them
get a good nights rest and stay focused and attentive in their classrooms during the day.
New Blood School with the Old Roof
New Blood School with the New Roof
Wide Horizons Community Projects 2013-14
Beads of Opportunity: Jewelry making raises funds and gives an artistic life skill
to the students at BHSOH.



Like many of the migrant schools in the Mae Sot area, BHSOH has suffered from significant
funding cuts as donors dry up or move their money inside Burma. In order to address painful
funding deficits, migrant schools need to find new ways to generate the revenues needed to
run their schools.
In September 2013, Wide Horizons students sat down with BHSOH teachers and students to
think about what the school could do to help mitigate the damage the funding cuts did to the
school. Together the group proposed doing a fancy beaded jewelry project to Room to Grow
foundation, and the Room to Grow supported the idea. In December 2013, Wide Horizon
students received a Training of Trainers from two of WH students who already know how to
make jewelry. Then the WH students went to BHSOH and taught 75 students and 8 teachers
how to make several different kinds of fancy beaded jewelry including necklaces, bracelets, and
earrings.
The BHSOH students made 120 different pieces during the weeklong training, and they have
already generated more that 6000 baht in profits from the sales of their jewelry to visitors and
friends. The jewelry making project not only provides a way for BHSOH to generate income,
but it also provides the students with an productive and artistic outlet in a learning
environment that has no resources for teaching art. In his thank you speech, BHSOH school
director Khing Oo Maung said Now we are trying to stand by ourselves and this training skill
will be useful for our schools funding, and you can use these skills for your future.

Wide Horizons Community Projects 2013-14
Financial Literacy Training teaches migrant women to save money and achieve goals




For the women who live in the Paseidan community, life can feel very restricted and
opportunity sometimes seems nonexistent. The entire community is affiliated with an
agricultural supply business that employs nearly all of the men in the community. While the
men earn between 100 and 150 baht a day loading and unloading trucks, the women are
confined to small plot of land provided to them by the company where they have built their
bamboo, tin, and rice bag shacks.
Because the company provides no documentation to them, the women of Paseidan cannot
leave the community, venture to the market to buy vegetables, or get medical care at the
health clinic without fear of deportation or having to pay expensive fines at police checkpoints.
The families of Paseidan survive on very limited incomes. They have to stretch each baht to pay
for their basic living necessities.
After meeting several times with the community and conducting a needs assessment, WH
students teamed up with Khom Loy Foundation to give the women in Paseidan financial literacy
training. Khom Loy first trained 24 WH students on how to give the trainings in the community.
Then WH students held a week long training in Paseidan. 46 women attended the entire
training and learned how to make savings plans, how to manage their income and expenses,
and they created short, medium, and long term savings goals. A month after WH gave the
training, many women were saving money in an effort to reach their goals. One participant,
Cho Cho Lwin, said that she can now save money every day. She said she learned a lot in the
training and hopes to save enough money so she can go back home to Burma with her family.
Wide Horizons Community Projects 2013-14
New Dormitories provide security and stability to ELPIS school.



Last year Peh Htoo, the headmistress of ELPIS school, faced a troubling problem. The owner of
the boarding house that she rented told her that he would not renew her lease after March
2014. This meant that the 59 students who slept in the dormitory, all of whom have lost or
been separated from their families, would have no place to stay for the next school year.
Fortunately, Peh Htoo and her husband owned some land where they could build a new
dormitory. Unfortunately, they did not have the funds to initiate such an expensive project.
But, in September 2013, Wide Horizons students worked together with ELPIS school and a
vocational school for migrant youth called Science and Technology Training Center (STTC), to
write a proposal for two new dormitories. Supported by generous funding from Room to Grow
Foundation, Wide Horizon students and staff managed the construction of two boarding house
dormitories (one for the girls and one for the boys) for ELPIS school. The dormitories will
provide a safe, secure, and comfortable place to live for the children.
Now that ELPIS school has two
dormitories on land owned by the
staff, the school no longer has to pay
rent for a boarding house. The money
that was used to pay rent can now be
redirected to the school, so all 373
students and 18 staff members will
benefit directly from this project. In
addition to the incredible learning
experience the project afforded Wide
Horizons students, this project gave
15 STTC students the opportunity
learn and practice vocational skills.