I am Florian Rohrmoser, I am 27 years old and I work for PPDD as a volunteer for one year now. After earning my Bachelor I started a Master Program in European Studies and International Relations in Istanbul, Turkey. As luck would have it, Anna Malindog, the head of PPDD had the same idea and so we traveled and studied together for a year in different countries in Europe. She offered me a job and that is how I been involved in Light School.
As I was not entirely sure of what to do after my studies, this opportunity came in the nick of time. This is my first experience working with grassroots people. I have to say, I never imagined it to be that affecting but also exciting and diversified. I was holding the position of Director of Light School. Part of my job is curriculum development, fundraising, school daily management and administration, and I also teach English in the school, the children on the one, the parents of the kids and the rest of the teachers on the other hand. The rest of my work varies from writing and responding to e-mails, going to meetings with other heads of different organizations and working on different projects of PPDD in various capacities. As far as the school is concern, it developed and improved so much in the last 10 months. So much has been done but still much can be done for the school.
Teaching is actually really great! Children here are different! They want to learn, they love going to school and they give teachers credit for what they do. Even if they do not have a high level of academic education they are very well educated when it comes to manners in social interaction. Like for example, if a teacher is tired and is resting, there will be at least 3 kids waving him/her air until he wakes up! Anyway they laugh a lot, they help each other - the bigger would take care of the smaller ones, family or friends. It is really great to experience all these since so many of these social graces seem to be disappearing more and more in the society where I am from.
My plan was not to stay in Thailand longer than 3 months but I decided to stay because I do not want to leave a project that is only half way done and more important I could not leave the kids right now that rely on us and need us to make a sustainable and helpful education possible for them and the coming generations! Besides, I m very glad to not have a 9-5 o’clock work, that would probably bore me to death. I really love this place and the work we do! Thanks Anna for the opportunity!!!....
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Our heartfelt thanks…
In behalf of the staff and the whole organization, and in my capacity being the Executive Director of PPDD and personally, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to Oliver for all the help, support and his valuable service extended to Light School. Oliver is a German friend of Light School and the brother of the Director of Light School - Florian. He worked with the school for over two months. He managed the construction projects at the school and he himself actually did some construction work while directing and guiding the local carpenters. He was such a great help and a genuine person with a heart for people especially for the children. It was both an honor and my pleasure to have met him and to have him with us even for a short period of time. Without any doubt, we will never forget him and the kindness he extended to the kids at the school and to the school as a whole. He will always be remembered as the smiley, hardworking, easy going, funny and gentle German friend of Light School who will always be loved and cherished by all the kids and staff of school and by all of us.
To you Oliver, I personally thank you and in my own humble ways I want to say that I admire your dedication and the commitment in helping the kids and the school without expecting anything in return at all and without any agenda – a character I might say I always admire in just few people I have met in this world. I would never expect that I can return the favor you have extended to the school, and I don’t want to do so because if I would try to return whatever you have done for the school in whatever ways, then everything you have done for the school will lost its meanings and depth. Though you stayed and worked with us shortly, without your knowing, you showed and give the people at Light School a perspective that people from other parts of the world, far from where they are and far from the circumstances they actually have can genuinely empathize and can show true kindness and extend genuine concern to them and this thought is priceless and more lasting than any other thing in this world. With this, I say thank you for being such an inspiration to the people of Light School and even to me. We wish you all the best in life and hopefully we will see you in the near future. We will never forget your kindness!
We would like also to say thank you to Misu Na, our Korean volunteer who worked with us for almost 10 months. She taught the kindergarten pupils at Light School. Aside from teaching, she also helped PPDD and the school in many ways. We especially want to thank her for the personal funds she extended for the construction of the play ground. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to May 18 Foundation – a partner organization which is the mother organization of Misu for giving us the opportunity to have Misu as an intern in PPDD. To Misu and to May 18 Foundation, thank you for all the help and support.
Yours sincerely,
Anna Malindog
Founder/Executive Director
Peoples Partner for Development and Democracy (PPDD)
To you Oliver, I personally thank you and in my own humble ways I want to say that I admire your dedication and the commitment in helping the kids and the school without expecting anything in return at all and without any agenda – a character I might say I always admire in just few people I have met in this world. I would never expect that I can return the favor you have extended to the school, and I don’t want to do so because if I would try to return whatever you have done for the school in whatever ways, then everything you have done for the school will lost its meanings and depth. Though you stayed and worked with us shortly, without your knowing, you showed and give the people at Light School a perspective that people from other parts of the world, far from where they are and far from the circumstances they actually have can genuinely empathize and can show true kindness and extend genuine concern to them and this thought is priceless and more lasting than any other thing in this world. With this, I say thank you for being such an inspiration to the people of Light School and even to me. We wish you all the best in life and hopefully we will see you in the near future. We will never forget your kindness!
We would like also to say thank you to Misu Na, our Korean volunteer who worked with us for almost 10 months. She taught the kindergarten pupils at Light School. Aside from teaching, she also helped PPDD and the school in many ways. We especially want to thank her for the personal funds she extended for the construction of the play ground. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to May 18 Foundation – a partner organization which is the mother organization of Misu for giving us the opportunity to have Misu as an intern in PPDD. To Misu and to May 18 Foundation, thank you for all the help and support.
Yours sincerely,
Anna Malindog
Founder/Executive Director
Peoples Partner for Development and Democracy (PPDD)
Living Values Education Program (LVEP) Training Workshop at Light School
LVEP Experiences at "Light School", Mae Sot
By: Dr.Patcharaporn Panyawuthikrai (Apple)
8 July, 2009
It is my first time to see the real life of “illegal” people, both adults and children from Burma that are actually living, studying and working in Thailand. They are unofficial refugees from Burma that are living in makeshift villages on the Thai/Burmese border in Mae Sot. There is almost no support for the refugees. The UN's ability to provide support is limited because they have not officially defined the conflict in Burma as war. Thailand also prefers not to recognize refugees, and our policy has been, at best, tolerance. Thai government prefers not to risk acknowledging the refugees because of the potential financial cost. It seems that our policy is to have little interest in stirring things up with our neighbor and confronting to the neighborhood country. As a result, refugees are forced to fend for themselves.
Our first Living Values Education, Thailand Project with a new coordinator, “Ms.Prapa Shiva” was in June, 2009. An American volunteer for the Peoples Partner for Development and Democracy (PPDD), a non-profit organization that operates and supports the “Light School” in a Burmese migrant village in Mae Sot, had e-mailed to Ms.Prapa in early June after getting the assignment from Ms.Anna Malindog, the PPDD founder, to create a course of values for migrant kids. This school caters to 136 migrant kids from Burma from different ethnic backgrounds. PPDD offers them almost everything for free since their parents and family cannot afford anything at all. It actually provides them with meals, health and medical assistance, and anything related to their educational and psycho-social needs as kids. There are 60 boarding kids and most of these kids come from inside Burma. Their parents sent them to the school to study and for them to have better chances of being away from conflict and also to have educational opportunities. As seen, PPDD staffs try to provide them for almost everything they need to have comfort at the school.
Few weeks later, 3 volunteers from Bangkok, 3 from Chiengmai, 1 from Lampang and a New Zealand trainer “Ms.Trish” from Vietnam had met and ran out three-day LVEP workshop for 8 Burmese teachers. With 3 languages: English-Burmese-Thai communication, the workshop was a fun and challenging time to participate in processes and discussions designed to bring clarity on Living Values concept and its benefit. Talking with Burmese teachers after sessions, they reflected that it was their great time to discover their own values, experience in real peace, and exercise with LVEP techniques and activities to integrate the learning into their daily life and for students in the school.
I would like to conclude that outcomes of this valuable three-day workshop include:
• Clarify values in one’s life.
• Create structures and practices to live one’s values in an easy and effortless way.
• Learn to create relationships – personal, professional and with family that are based on alignment with one’s values.
• Learn “how to” teach values within one’s relationships.
• Learn “how to” create value based conversations to resolve conflict.
• Experience the connection between values based living and creation of one’s dreams in life.
• Gain clarity as to areas of one’s life that support one’s values.
• Become aware of where shifts may be desired to live aligned with one’s values.
It is my great experience to work cooperatively with non-profit organization in the limited support area to serve the needs of the migrants, and encourage them a sense of personal values, worth, responsibility, and peace in lives. Moreover, we are a part of the Thai/Burmese border school team to enlighten the migrant kids and unofficial refugees to the opportunity and obligation of sharing equally all the benefits and warmth of community life in Thailand.
By: Dr.Patcharaporn Panyawuthikrai (Apple)
8 July, 2009
It is my first time to see the real life of “illegal” people, both adults and children from Burma that are actually living, studying and working in Thailand. They are unofficial refugees from Burma that are living in makeshift villages on the Thai/Burmese border in Mae Sot. There is almost no support for the refugees. The UN's ability to provide support is limited because they have not officially defined the conflict in Burma as war. Thailand also prefers not to recognize refugees, and our policy has been, at best, tolerance. Thai government prefers not to risk acknowledging the refugees because of the potential financial cost. It seems that our policy is to have little interest in stirring things up with our neighbor and confronting to the neighborhood country. As a result, refugees are forced to fend for themselves.
Our first Living Values Education, Thailand Project with a new coordinator, “Ms.Prapa Shiva” was in June, 2009. An American volunteer for the Peoples Partner for Development and Democracy (PPDD), a non-profit organization that operates and supports the “Light School” in a Burmese migrant village in Mae Sot, had e-mailed to Ms.Prapa in early June after getting the assignment from Ms.Anna Malindog, the PPDD founder, to create a course of values for migrant kids. This school caters to 136 migrant kids from Burma from different ethnic backgrounds. PPDD offers them almost everything for free since their parents and family cannot afford anything at all. It actually provides them with meals, health and medical assistance, and anything related to their educational and psycho-social needs as kids. There are 60 boarding kids and most of these kids come from inside Burma. Their parents sent them to the school to study and for them to have better chances of being away from conflict and also to have educational opportunities. As seen, PPDD staffs try to provide them for almost everything they need to have comfort at the school.
Few weeks later, 3 volunteers from Bangkok, 3 from Chiengmai, 1 from Lampang and a New Zealand trainer “Ms.Trish” from Vietnam had met and ran out three-day LVEP workshop for 8 Burmese teachers. With 3 languages: English-Burmese-Thai communication, the workshop was a fun and challenging time to participate in processes and discussions designed to bring clarity on Living Values concept and its benefit. Talking with Burmese teachers after sessions, they reflected that it was their great time to discover their own values, experience in real peace, and exercise with LVEP techniques and activities to integrate the learning into their daily life and for students in the school.
I would like to conclude that outcomes of this valuable three-day workshop include:
• Clarify values in one’s life.
• Create structures and practices to live one’s values in an easy and effortless way.
• Learn to create relationships – personal, professional and with family that are based on alignment with one’s values.
• Learn “how to” teach values within one’s relationships.
• Learn “how to” create value based conversations to resolve conflict.
• Experience the connection between values based living and creation of one’s dreams in life.
• Gain clarity as to areas of one’s life that support one’s values.
• Become aware of where shifts may be desired to live aligned with one’s values.
It is my great experience to work cooperatively with non-profit organization in the limited support area to serve the needs of the migrants, and encourage them a sense of personal values, worth, responsibility, and peace in lives. Moreover, we are a part of the Thai/Burmese border school team to enlighten the migrant kids and unofficial refugees to the opportunity and obligation of sharing equally all the benefits and warmth of community life in Thailand.
Monday, May 5, 2008
A Call to Action: Burma URGENTLY Needs Humanitarian Aid
The worst humanitarian crisis ever in Burma's recent history, in the form of a mega powerful cyclone, has struck already poor and debilitating people under a despotic military regime into an utter devastation.
(See photos on http://burmadigest. info/2008/ 05/05/photo- burma-devastated -by-storm/ to get a sense of how massive the devastation is)
The ruling military generals who never care about the sufferings of their own people is in no way ready to tackle such a massive humanitarian disaster. Even if they do care, the current crisis is clearly beyond their capabilities to deal with by themselves alone.
In fact, Burma, as a country which is downright poor but usually tranquil and safe from natural disasters, is never really prepared for such super disasters which came out of the blue and hit hard and destroyed the three quarter of the entire southern half of the country.
Estimates said hundreds to thousands of people are already dead. The death toll is likely to climb as the authorities make contact with hard-hit islands and villages in remote areas.
Three out of every four homes in Irrawaddy delta region are totally destroyed. Hundreds of thousands to millions of people are homeless, and those who still have a home no longer have roofs above their heads because all the roofs have been blown away by the storm.
Many towns and villages are still under water. Many roads and rails are either flooded or blocked by storm debris. Many bridges have collapsed.
People all across these vast storm-devastated areas are trying to survive with no electricity (which is off and on even at the best of times) and no clean water. Petrol stations are also running out of supply. Many shops and food stores are destroyed. Many hospitals and clinics are also destroyed. People are now with no electricity, no petrol, no water, no food and no medical supplies.
The flood waters have brought in and are spreading water-born infectious diseases while hospitals are either destroyed or with scant medical supplies.
The people are saying that they have never seen anything like this massive disaster ever before.
With so many roads still blocked or flooded, and with all phone-lines cut-down by fallen trees, the government cannot even yet get the exact estimates of how massive the devastation is.
Humanitarian aid organization, such as the Red Cross, who are already on the ground have started their relief operations, but rescue workers have yet to reach some of the worst-hit areas of the country.
Military government has declared five regions in Southern Burma as disaster zones. And the UN and international aid agencies meet on Monday (05.05.2008) morning in Bangkok, Thailand, to co-ordinate their rescue and relief efforts. And Thai government has already sent a plane load of food and supplies to Rangoon.
Usually, the ruling military generals in Burma are very paranoid about foreign intervention in domestic affairs. And, on the other hand, the international organizations who very well know about the generals' habit of mis-use of public funds, corruption, bribery and ineptitude have some mistrust on the generals. And because of the generals' notoriety for brutality and human rights abuses, international governments are usually reluctant to be seen as giving a helping hand to the generals. And many influential political dissidents in exile, who want to see the military regime choked under international sanctions, are not usually keen on international aid to Burma.
But with millions of people in an absolute crisis under an unprecedented immense devastation and disaster, ALL parties need to work together for an effective and immediate delivery of the required relief operation of an enormous scale.
BURMA URGENTLY NEEDS INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AIDS, NEEDS IT NOW, AND NEEDS IT IMMEDIATELY!
The worst humanitarian crisis ever in Burma's recent history, in the form of a mega powerful cyclone, has struck already poor and debilitating people under a despotic military regime into an utter devastation.
(See photos on http://burmadigest. info/2008/ 05/05/photo- burma-devastated -by-storm/ to get a sense of how massive the devastation is)
The ruling military generals who never care about the sufferings of their own people is in no way ready to tackle such a massive humanitarian disaster. Even if they do care, the current crisis is clearly beyond their capabilities to deal with by themselves alone.
In fact, Burma, as a country which is downright poor but usually tranquil and safe from natural disasters, is never really prepared for such super disasters which came out of the blue and hit hard and destroyed the three quarter of the entire southern half of the country.
Estimates said hundreds to thousands of people are already dead. The death toll is likely to climb as the authorities make contact with hard-hit islands and villages in remote areas.
Three out of every four homes in Irrawaddy delta region are totally destroyed. Hundreds of thousands to millions of people are homeless, and those who still have a home no longer have roofs above their heads because all the roofs have been blown away by the storm.
Many towns and villages are still under water. Many roads and rails are either flooded or blocked by storm debris. Many bridges have collapsed.
People all across these vast storm-devastated areas are trying to survive with no electricity (which is off and on even at the best of times) and no clean water. Petrol stations are also running out of supply. Many shops and food stores are destroyed. Many hospitals and clinics are also destroyed. People are now with no electricity, no petrol, no water, no food and no medical supplies.
The flood waters have brought in and are spreading water-born infectious diseases while hospitals are either destroyed or with scant medical supplies.
The people are saying that they have never seen anything like this massive disaster ever before.
With so many roads still blocked or flooded, and with all phone-lines cut-down by fallen trees, the government cannot even yet get the exact estimates of how massive the devastation is.
Humanitarian aid organization, such as the Red Cross, who are already on the ground have started their relief operations, but rescue workers have yet to reach some of the worst-hit areas of the country.
Military government has declared five regions in Southern Burma as disaster zones. And the UN and international aid agencies meet on Monday (05.05.2008) morning in Bangkok, Thailand, to co-ordinate their rescue and relief efforts. And Thai government has already sent a plane load of food and supplies to Rangoon.
Usually, the ruling military generals in Burma are very paranoid about foreign intervention in domestic affairs. And, on the other hand, the international organizations who very well know about the generals' habit of mis-use of public funds, corruption, bribery and ineptitude have some mistrust on the generals. And because of the generals' notoriety for brutality and human rights abuses, international governments are usually reluctant to be seen as giving a helping hand to the generals. And many influential political dissidents in exile, who want to see the military regime choked under international sanctions, are not usually keen on international aid to Burma.
But with millions of people in an absolute crisis under an unprecedented immense devastation and disaster, ALL parties need to work together for an effective and immediate delivery of the required relief operation of an enormous scale.
BURMA URGENTLY NEEDS INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AIDS, NEEDS IT NOW, AND NEEDS IT IMMEDIATELY!
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