Man Deih Lai Lun spends her summer at school

Schools in Burma have their summer holiday break from March until June when the new academic year starts. Instead of closing down for the summer holidays, our Sophia Academy in Tamu runs a summer school to teach children English, Burmese, Maths and Music while also running fun games for the children and sharing God's love with them. 

This summer, Man Deih Lai Lun has joined our summer programme along with a friend from her village. They come from Tuikhingzang village, a village approximately an hour away from Tamu that was totally washed away by the 2015 flood and was left completely under mud. The flood was caused by the monsoon season when rainfall is heavy and can be constant for long periods of time causing rivers to overflow.

The villagers including Man Deih Lai Lun and her family lost their homes, possessions and crops and settled on higher land in the area, rebuilding their lives from scratch. 

Stand by Me provides Man Deih Lai Lun with accommodation in Tamu while she attends summer school at the Sophia Academy. The summer school is full of life and fun and has given Man Deih Lai Lun the chance to learn. It is a stark contrast to her everyday life in her small village. Man Deih Lai Lun told us what it means to attend summer school:

"The flood came in and we rushed to the mountain for life. The next day our house was buried half under mud. My parents cried, and so I also cried. After this, we lived in a temporary shelter for a long time. There was no school day, I did not have school books, there was no school uniform for me. I came to Sophia Academy last month to join the summer session. There is everything I need. The teachers are kind and lovely. Such a lovely place, school is like a heaven for me!"

We believe that every child deserves the chance of an education to rise above their circumstances and reach their dreams. Children like Man Deih Lai Lun desire an education so much that they are willing to spend their summer holiday at school. We are proud to provide the summer school to help Man Deih Lai Lun have the joy of an education and experience the excitement of learning.