A charity helping some of Yangon’s poorest children is raising funds for a new centre in South Dagon township.
SONNE Social Organisation has built the centre on Min Ye Kaung Pon Road, where it will support about 150 children who are mostly either born into lives of poverty on the streets or whose families have moved from the countryside.
The charity is relying on donors to roll out its broad programme of education, sports, vocational training and health care.
“We’ve built this centre for a better future for the kids around this neighbourhood,” said the charity’s chairperson San San Hla. “There is so much need around.”
SONNE already runs three centres on the outskirts of Yangon, near slums which typically lack running water and electricity.
Children living in the surrounding shacks enjoy days at the centres—a welcome respite from the stress, drugs and abuse of the slums.
With the added pressure of earning money for their families, the youngsters often scrape through refuse for recyclable bottles, or sell jasmine at road junctions.
But at the centres, they are fed twice a day and taught subjects such as Burmese, English, meditation, handicrafts and taekwondo.
Integrating the children into wider society and enrolling them on to government schools are some of the main priorities for the charity.
“We have also built this centre for a better future for SONNE, because it gives us more sustainability,” explained San San Hla.
“In the recent past, we have found that short term rental agreements with house owners are not a viable option for running a day care centre.”
The compound includes a library, common space with a small café, an area to sell homemade products, and a sports field along with a garden.
Its running cost will be roughly US$78,000 a year, said San San Hla, with daily care and two meals for one child over a month costing $33 or $56 including medical care.
Support the project at the SONNE Social Organisation donation page.
