Do you have any books to donate to an orphanage library in Myanmar?

[simon43]

I think the General forum is the best place for this thread, to get the maximum of exposure.

 

First, please note that the forum moderators have given me permission to post this request - I checked with their team before I created the thread.

 

Some members may know that I teach at an international school in the city of Naypyidaw, Myanmar.  But each weekend, I give up some of my free time to teach Engish at an orphanage called Sa Ma Mountain Orphanage, located in a rural area, about 30 minutes outside the city.

 

There are 800 children at this orphanage, aged between 0 and 18 years old. Thanks to local volunteers, basic schooling is provided for all the children.

 

The orphanage school has a library with approximately 5 English language books!  They have an old Webster's dictionary and a few paperback novels.

 

Every student that I teach is very keen to improve his/her English, since learning English can be the route to entering university, getting a job etc etc.

 

As part of my efforts to help the orphanage, I am financing the purchase of library shelves, tables and chairs, as well as a selection of specific books that I know (with my teacher's hat on), will help the students to improve their English knowledge.

 

A publishing company in Yangon has generously agreed to provide (free of charge) a selection of local story books that are written in both Myanmar and English language. 

 

So that's all good :)

 

In a few weeks, I will be in Bangkok for 3 days, and I will purchase some more English books and posters, to take back with me to Myanmar.

 

But in order to stock this library, it would be great if any members who have unwanted books in English could donate them to the orphanage.

 

The type of book that is needed would include:

- English language story books and picture/alphabet books for the younger children
- English dictionaries, thesaurus, grammar books for the older students.

 

If you think that you might be able to spare anything, then please send me a PM to arrange delivery/collection.

 

Due to my time-constraints, I will be unable to travel outside Bangkok on this trip, (although I'll be back around Christmas for a longer stay, and could pick up more books at that time).

 

I'll be staying between July 20 - 23rd at the salubrious Miami Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 13, and books can certainly be left at the hotel prior to my stay with a note to give them to me (Simon Luttrell).

 

Or if you are friends with any of the bars around Sukhumvit, and if they are willing to hold onto the books until I collect them, then just PM me the details and I'll go round and pick them up!

 

In any case, I very much appreciate any book donations to help these young students out.  

 

I'll post some pictures of the new library once I get back from my Bangkok trip.

Edited July 2, 2017 by Support
Approved by site admin

[ianf]

Hi: If I could possibly get some books to you, and some relevant board games, I would be happy to do so:

I have an almost complete set of Mr Men books, Charades game for young children, Harry Potter, Syory books, some non-fiction and a couple of school dictionaries.

Quite a parcel and am not sure how I can get them to you as I live in Chiang Mai and leaving for the UK for a month from 13 July. Let me know.

It may have to be next time .........

Ian

PS: My Thai wife and I have been involved in working with IDPs, and we have had Burmese refugees stay with us ......

 

[AhFarangJa]

I have afew sitting around. will PM you. 

[peergin]

English-language books are expensive in Thailand. They are MUCH cheaper in the Philippines. 

[simon43]

English-language books are expensive in Thailand. They are MUCH cheaper in the Philippines. 

 

Probably true.  But I go to BKK because the only international flight from Naypyidaw is to BKK (also one to Kunning, China), and I need to get my new visa for my next 6 months in Myanmar from the same embassy as last time.

[peergin]

1 minute ago, simon43 said:

 

 

 

Probably true.  But I go to BKK because the only international flight from Naypyidaw is to BKK (also one to Kunning, China), and I need to get my new visa for my next 6 months in Myanmar from the same embassy as last time.

OK, have a safe trip.

[Crossy]

Off topic post and sensible replies have been removed.

 

Let's keep it civil and on-topic please.

[Bruce404]

Simon43 has been a ThaiVisa contributor for more than a decade, with excellent ratings, but something here does not make sense.

 

If even a tiny proportion of ThaiVisa readers respond with even 1 kg each of donated books (presumably only appropriate children's ones with basic English -- no James Joyce), exactly how would he transport what could be hundreds or more kilograms from the Miami Hotel and Sukhumvit watering holes to Naypidaw?  

 

As overweight baggage on an airline? Sea freight via Thai and Myanmar postal services?  A shipping container from Bangkok or Laem Chabang ports to Yangon, and then 10-wheel truck to Naypidaw?  Overland?  The costs would be enormous.

 

Or maybe giving a few books each to individual do-gooders traveling to his orphanage over the next few years from a warehouse storing them somewhere in Thailand?

 

As experienced relief experts everywhere advise, donation of physical goods (be they unwanted medicines, food, clothing, etc.) for shipment overseas is extremely inefficient and expensive, and time-wasting for relief workers to sort the useful from the useless. 

 

 Better money, which can be weightless and instantly reach the target country (avoiding customs tie-ups and corruption), where it can purchase goods much closer to its intended recipients, without distorting local markets, and as selected by those best suited to know what's needed.

 

Simon43, please explain your logistics for items as heavy as books.

Edited July 4, 2017 by Bruce404

[Farang99]

I live in Phuket and will certainly have a number of books to spare, though none for younger children. However I have no way of getting to Bangkok, but if you have time to travel on a future trip you might bear me in mind.

[simon43]

Bruce, thanks for your post, and the questions that you raise.

 

Realistically, I expect only a few forum members to respond with suitable books.  I've indicated that I will only be in BKK for a few days, and that on this occasion, I'm unable to travel outside BKK to collect books.

 

As a fact of life, I think it highly unlikely that members would be willing to take the time/effort to send books by post to BKK, even if I'm paying the postage.

 

I'm not trying to provide books for all of Myanmar :)  I don't need thousands of books - this is one orphanage.  Most children's books are thin and fairly lightweight - I don't want copies of War & Peace.

 

If I do get inundated with books, then I can organise storage and then distribution to other schools and orphanages in Myanmar.  But that's further down the line and I'd need to investigate the logistics of this.

 

Bangkok Airways, who fly between Bangkok and Naypyidaw, have offered to transport these books, although space is limited since it's a prop plane.

 

Donations of money are absolutely not wanted, for several reasons:

- I'm not allowed to solicit financial donations on this forum

- Money cannot be used to buy suitable books in Myanmar - the selection of suitable books is far greater in Bangkok

- Donors of hard cash will always wonder if Simon43 has just bought a shiny new motorbike and built a new hotel in Myanmar with these funds!  

 

Children's books and a few dictionaries for the older students is what the orphanage needs.  They don't need romantic novels, cookbooks, how to make a million guides etc.

 

I'd also like to thank everyone who has PMed me with their generous offers.

 

 

Edited July 4, 2017 by simon43

[simon43]

@IanF

 

Thanks for your kind offer.  On this trip to BKK, if you are able to send the Mr Men books and the dictionaries to my hotel in BKK, I'd appreciate this very much.  Just let me know the EMS postage costs and I'll pay these costs.

 

[thailen]

Contact the Pattaya City Expat Club(PCEC). They have a lending library of books and DVDs. I'm sure they can send some books to you in Bangkok. Just coordinate the number, type of books and location in Bangkok.

[phuketrichard]

good job simon;  :-)

[rak sa_ngop]

Have you been in touch with the British Club in Yangon? They used to have a small library. The Brit embassy or Club used to organise an annual fair and collected unwanted items from the expat community and their families to sell cheaply at this fair (to the local population). I donated a lot of books when I was there years ago. Maybe they can hold back suitable books for you? Also the Australian Club (if it is still there).

[simon43]

Thanks for all the kind offers.  If I am 'swamped' with suitable books, then I'll plan out a major project, to ensure that these books are distributed to as many orphanages as possible.

 

Google tells me that there are also about 39,000 government primary schools in Myanmar.  Unlike Thailand, where many children are not interested or encouraged to learn English (a blanket statement I know), here in Myanmar, everyone (by that I mean from the government to the teachers to the students to the chickens crossing the road) recognise the importance of learning English.

 

Since it is a major project to physically distribute English books to all these schools, I have exploited the new mobile networks in Myanmar to provide audio downloads of popular Myanmar story books, as well as audio recordings of the exercises that are in the reader textbooks that all government schools use.  The story books are printed in Myanmar and English languages side-by-side.  

 

The young students do not have mobile phones, but their teachers do, and it is also these teachers who need to practice and perfect their English pronunciation, so that they can teach their students.

 

That online resource is at www.TeacherSimon.org, and it is slowly growing as I read and record more story books and government reader books.  

 

So this project is a good example of 'E-Learning' in Myanmar.