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Mingalaba!
Hi Everyone. We are JO & Jo from Sidney BC. We are so excited to renew our ties with Myanmar (Burma), where we will be for a year to share our passion for teaching and helping others to reach their goals in Hpa-An.
Why this matters to us and we hope to you too!
As many of you know, we have always been interested in education and in helping others, especially through our teaching. For more than 20 years, we have dedicated our careers to guiding others to reach their goals through building their English and life skills, much of that in Japan. We have had a connection with Myanmar working with a Japanese NGO, as well as independently. It is our dream come true to be able to combine international volunteering and teaching! We have worked with many organizations in Canada and abroad whose goals are to improve economic and social well-being and further cross-cultural interactions, which are in alignment with our own goals of helping others. The world is small and interconnected and it is our dream to strengthen those connections by helping build better futures.
Where we are helping
We are delighted to be part of a new project for CUSO working with the Youth Learning Centre in Hpa An, Karen State. Hpa An is a 6 hour drive from the capital, Yangon and a 4 hour drive from Mae Sot, Thailand. The Youth Learning Centre has built a great foundation for its students since opening in 2015, but access to language skill development opportunities are still very limited in this rural community. Through our participation, we are helping to change that and to help provide opportunities for students to create brighter futures for themselves.
How we can help
This where we come in! Our placement goals are:
1. Helping the students with their regular English classes, mentoring students who want to further their education, organizing and participating in different events.
2. Capacity building by working with the local teaching staff on strengthening the English language curriculum, methods of assessment, expanding the learning resources, designing and implementing new courses and also training teachers who will go to villages throughout Karen State to teach children there.
How we are funded
Through the generous support of CUSO International, we will be wholly supported financially for our entire 1 year placement. This includes training, airfare, and required immunizations prior to leaving Canada. While in-country, this support includes health insurance, a modest living allowance, and accommodation to local standards. As part of CUSO’s funding agreement with Global Affairs Canada, volunteers must fundraise at least $2,000 each, which is roughly 10% of the overall cost of placing a volunteer abroad for one year.
How you can help us and watch your money multiply - now that’s a great return!
For every $1 you donate the Canadian Government will provide $9. That means a $25 contribution becomes $250 and a $100 gift becomes $1,000!
** 100% of donations support volunteer activities since CUSO has separate funding for administration costs.
A Gift for Giving
All donors will receive a beautiful postcard from Myanmar with a personal thank you message. Everyone donating $100 or more will receive an authentic, locally crafted artisan gift from Myanmar, which will be delivered to you upon our return to Canada in 2019!
We hope you’ll join us in reaching this goal!
Please click the Donate Now Button at the top or bottom of this page to support CUSO International! Yes, it is tax deductible in Canada and also in the U.S.
To make a donation in US dollars, click the green button and then select the option to donate in US dollars and receive a US tax receipt.
Other international donors, also click the green button.
We’re so excited!!! We depart on October 5th! Together we can give hope and change lives. Let’s improve education in Myanmar together!
Update Dec. 13, 2018: We are in Hpa-an now and have been busy since we arrived developing curricula for the courses, as well as teaching classes. Our teacher training program will begin in January. There is lots to do here! The students and teachers are all so earger to learn.
Update Feb. 18, 2019: We are in our 5th month here now and we are really seeing a difference. The YLC teachers are soaking up everything we offer them and are becoming more confident at using communicative language teaching methodologies in their classrooms. The students are responding very well to learning in a communicative way and they are developing confidence in using the English they are learning, which is an entirely new concept for them. This will be a big help to them in their future careers. We are also becoming more and more comfortable living in Myanmar and learning so much from everyone here.
Thank you for any and all donations in support of us and CUSO’s work.
Jo & JO
Since 1961, Cuso International has been working to reduce poverty and inequality through the efforts of volunteers, partners, and donors. Each year Cuso International mobilizes hundreds of professionals who volunteer side-by-side with local partners to create positive and lasting change.
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Cuso International
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