The myME project was started by Burmese human rights activist Tim Aye-Hardy along with a small group of people in NYC and in Myanmar (Burma) who passionately believe that true reform for Myanmar starts with education. We're a collective of human rights activists, educators, business people, academics, writers and artists. 

We believe that every child in Myanmar has the right to access quality education. Education is a critical step toward alleviating poverty and the abuses associated with child labor.

OUR MISSION is to provide education via mobile classrooms to children in Myanmar who have been compelled into indentured servitude at teashop restaurants where they're forced to work long hours every day in order to sustain their families. The mobile classrooms provide these children an opportunity to learn basic literacy, math and computer skills in a safe environment where they can gain self-confidence and develop critical thinking skills through innovative, interactive instruction.

BACKGROUND:

Once a hopeful and prosperous country, Myanmar has been neglected and exploited by repressive military regimes for the past five decades. As a result, infrastructures have become broken, schools and hospitals are dysfunctional, and the vast majority of the population is uneducated and vulnerable. In many cases, it is the children, aged 7 to 17 years, who are the worst affected. Sadly, there are a growing number of people who take advantage of the children’s trust and vulnerability. Sometimes it's actually their parents and relatives, who, out of total desperation, “give” their children over to  work as indentured servants. 

Teashops are located all over Myanmar—they are small road- or alley-side restaurants where the local people come regularly for daily sweet tea and snacks. Many of them are “manned” by children who have been forced into servitude. 

Once in this situation, the children must work for over 16 hours daily, 7 days per week.  At night they sleep on the tables or on the floors of the shops.  Their meager earnings are sent back to their families and villages in the countryside. In this system the children are sometimes abused by their employers/owners and customers, they are deprived of their childhoods, and they lack any basic educational skills, decent healthcare and adequate, nutritious food.

PROJECT DETAILS:

A unique education and outreach program provides school and assistance to the teashop children via used buses that have been gutted and converted to mobile classrooms. Because these teashops are concentrated in cities and towns, the classroom stops are planned to maximize participation of many children in one area. Each child spends a minimum of two hours per day on the bus, and the teashop owners are compensated for the children’s time away from work. Each classroom is equipped with books, desks, chairs and all necessary school supplies. The children are served a nutritious meal at each session. Staff includes a coordinator/counselor (mentor), a full-time teacher, and a driver.

OBJECTIVES:

• Provide a safe environment to learn
• Obtain basic educational skills
• Gain basic computer skills
• Develop self-esteem and self-confidence
• Create friendships among peers
• Escape appalling working conditions
• Gain knowledge of accessing the country’s educational system
• Explore alternative future opportunities
• Improve wellbeing and quality of life

WHAT WE NEED:

We're hoping to raise $20,000 USD, which is about 2/3 of our operating budget to launch our pilot program--one bus servicing up to 40 children per day--by the end of 2013. This budget is enough to run the pilot for 6 months. At that time we'll purchase 2-3 more buses to help more children. We're hopeful that we'll receive financial support from foundations once we have the results from our pilot program--which we hope you will help us realize with this Indiegogo campaign! 

Donations of $75 or more will receive a tax deduction letter from our fiscal sponsor, Burma Humanitarian Mission (BHM), www.burmamission.org

ALL of the monies raised will go directly to Myanmar (Burma) to fund the following:

• Bus purchase and renovation
• Fulltime salaries for personnel inside Burma:

          1 fulltime teacher 
          1 fulltime coordinator
          1 fulltime bus driver/security guard

• School books and supplies
• 2 computers for the bus
• Food cost and preparation for 1 meal per day for 40 children (6 days per week)
• Compensation to the teashop owners to allow the children to leave for 2 hours per day to attend classes on the bus (6 days per week)

For a relatively small investment this is a vital project with enormous impact for the future of Myanmar (Burma). True reform starts with education. With the help of generous and compassionate supporters like you we can together make this happen!!! 

EVERY DOLLAR HELPS so give whatever feels comfortable to you. 

Again, donations of $75 or more will receive a tax deduction letter from our fiscal sponsor, BHM.

If you can't help financially, you can help A LOT by simply sharing this campaign link with your friends and any friends of Burma. Email them or use the nifty Indiegogo share tools. 

More information can be found at our website: www.mymeproject.org

WE THANK YOU,

Tim Aye-Hardy, Grace Swe Zin Htaik, Karen Zusman, Elisa Pigeron, Matt Namer, Myat Noe Zaw, Hnin Wint Naing