In Yangon close to the east gate of the famous Shwedagon Pagoda.  Phaung Daw Oo’s Yangon base, Thone Htat Kyaung Monastery provides education and comprehensive support to a group of around 25 children who live and work on the streets in Yangon.  The terms, ‘street children’ is somewhat problematic as it gives inadequate representation to the multi-dimensional experiences of children, giving little analysis into the many and varied reasons why children take to and remain on the streets.  The children in this program spend a lot of their time on the streets working and playing.  All have dropped out of the formal schooling system.  They are vulnerable to all kinds of abuse and exploitation, often from those who should be protecting them.  This program has a number of objectives:

• To train and provide ongoing support to non-formal education teachers who focus on street children.
• To create a model (pilot) school that provides education for children that can no longer attend formal school and that promotes vocational skills development, self-esteem, confidence and life-skills.  
• To develop a network of employers for children who will provide vocational training placements that compliment children’s non-formal education.
• To provide emergency and short to medium term shelter and nutrition.  This includes a hostel run by a ‘street mum’ who has five children of her own and looks after another 6 or 7 – no mean feat!

We have enrolled a number of children and young people into a Taekwondo club.  They are really benefiting from this; developing a sense of self worth and a lot of discipline!  Perhaps in the future, skills in Taekwondo will help them find jobs in security companies.  At the very least they will benefit from the exercise!

APEF is supporting the development of a model school in Yangon at Thone Htat Kyaung Monastery.  As well as the street kids, there is a group of novices from around the country and soon there will be more children from the surrounding area.  The school teaches the government curriculum but we are training teachers in child centred approaches and making sure that kids with special needs (like the street kids who have had very limited educational opportunities) are taught in ways that meet their needs, rather than the very formal rote learning approach adopted by most schools.  In addition, we are developing vocational training courses for children who do not have a great academic interest.  This will link then with finding jobs and apprenticeships around Yangon. 

Once the school is up and running properly, it will be used as a training ground for other schools from around the country.  Teachers will be able to see how to integrate both academic and vocational programs and to teach to the needs of their students.