By Tom Rosen | Co-Director/Project Manager
Dear friends,
We hope this update finds you well. It's been a busy couple of months and we’re excited to update you on what’s been happening for The Branch Foundation and the communities with which we work!
In December, we held a weekend-long teacher training workshop at Koung Jor Camp. We’ve always been very lucky to acquire the best teacher trainers that graciously volunteer their time and skills and this time was no different. This time we had a skilled trainer with over 20 years experience who brought a whole new range of exciting and fun ideas for the local teachers to use in their classes.
At the end of January we facilitated a learning trip to Koung Jor for World Pilgrim from Canada. We have previously facilitated another group from the same organisation who said the visit to the camp was the highlight of their trip to Thailand. World Pilgrim remain eager supporters of both The Branch Foundation and Koung Jor and we were delighted to once again help them have a meaningful, informative and fun stay with our Shan friends at the refugee camp.
Do you remember Sai Oo? For years he was the Education Coordinator and Computer Teacher at Koung Jor and then he went on to study Computer Science at Mai Fah Luang University in Chiang Rai. We previously had a special Global Giving project to help raise funds for his university costs as well as for the stipend for his role at the camp which many of you generously contributed to. Well…. we could not be more excited to tell you that after 4 years and so much dedication and hard work that he has just graduated from university! We could not be more proud of him. He is a shining example of what one determined individual can achieve and an inspiration to the youth in Koung Jor and Burma/Myanmar as a whole. Sai Oo, who happens to also be a long time friend of ours, has also managed to secure himself a managerial role in a computer software company in a nearby city. It feels like yesterday that we sat in a thatch hut just outside the camp enjoying a steaming bowl of Shan noodles whilst listening to his dreams of going to university. In his latest update we could hear just how chuffed he was with what he has achieved and so are we!
Upcoming we have a new exciting education project in Karen state in Burma/Myanmar on the horizon but we’ll save the specific details for our next report. Until then, we will be busy wrapping up the end of this financial year and preparing for this years Annual General Meeting. It’s always a great opportunity to see just how much we have collectively achieved!
With all our gratitude,
The Branch Foundation team.
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