A new learning source

Friday, April 29, 2016

Bumpy winding roads, about 4 feet wide, lead down to the bottom of the mountains then again go up to the top of the hills to reach Cing’s village. Her house is small, stands on stilt on the cliff is made of zinc plate and wooden with old roof.

“In my notebook, there are pictures of birds, mountains, and rivers. Among them, my favourite is a great wall from Asia, because it gives me a sense of protection,” says 13-year-old Cing, who is in grade 9.

Cing’s parents are simple farmers who struggle to feed and support their 3 children. The family lives in a village in Chin state, western Myanmar. Chin state is a mountainous region with difficult transportation routes and remains one of the least developed areas of the country.

Bumpy winding roads, about 5 feet wide drive down to the bottom of the mountains then again go up to the top of the hills to reach Cing’s village. Her house is small, stands on stilt on the cliff is made of zinc plate and wooden with old roof. 

Cing is an outstanding student among her classmates because she studies regularly and having a strong determination for the future.

“I don’t want her working away in the hot sun like us.”

“I will try to be a doctor in the future because I would like to help poor families from my village,” said Cing.

Fortunately, small gifts and correspondence from her sponsor are tools that Cing uses to learn about the outside world. One gift that helped her learn about the world’s unique places was a notebook.

“I am so pleased to receive this notebook,” said Cing. She tries to learn whatever she can, with the resources she has available.

Cing’s mother, Daw Nyung, has high aims for her daughter. “I don’t want her working away in the hot sun like us.”

But things aren’t that easy at home.

“We plant corn in March and harvest in August, but we cannot survive well enough from those earnings,” says U Paung, Cing’s father.

Growing vegetables such as corn, garlic, beans, potatoes, and keeping livestock are the main livelihood for families in their village.

“Though we grow potato in summer, it’s only enough for our family,” adds U Paung.

When World Vision discovered their family’s situation, they met together with the family and then provided them with a 3-month-old female pig. They also provided education on animal husbandry with a focus on proper feeding and hygienic issues.

“When the farrowing time comes, I will sell some piglets to support my children’s education,” said Daw Nyung.

“I keep my notebook in my clothes case and sometimes, I take it to school to show my friends,” said Cing. “I show them the places inside my notebook. We talked about the elephant from Africa and Matterhorn Mountain from Europe. I write about my country in my notebook too.”

“Thank you sponsor for sending me letters and stickers and the notebook, I really love it,” said Cing.