Care for Children

Report February 2010

Care for Children Foundation 2009 Progress report.

Landsmeer, February 2010.

Dear contributor,

This is our 8th annual progress report on the activities for our two orphanages in and around Nyaungshwe in Myanmar (Burma).

Visits of the executive committee to the orphanages
In 2009, our committee visited the orphanages twice, the first time in January//February and the second time in November. These visits were mainly aimed at advising the local staff members and to pursue the possibilities to establish small businesses. We interviewed thirty children to determine their background and their ambitions for the future. The poverty, their missing parents and too few visits by family members formed a “leitmotiv” in those talks. Despite all the good care and attention they receive in the orphanages, those children all do miss of course a family home.

We did encourage the children 14 years old and up (about 40) to discover their talents. We advised them to do their daily homework very seriously. Our speech (in English) was simultaneously translated in Burmese by the orphanage father. The children of the Dutch elementary school “De Hoeksteen” in Landsmeer had made drawings for us to hand over to the orphanage children. By way of thank for this, the children in the orphanage made drawings for the Dutch children, which we took with us to be handed to the school children in Landsmeer.

We also visited the apartments of the teachers. These apartments have been built thanks to an action by the Landsmeer/Amsterdam North Rotary section and the Lionsclub Landsmeer. In the meantime all six apartments are occupied and the teachers are very grateful for their accommodations.

The computers that failed last year have been repaired. A firm in Landsmeer offered a used laptop and money was provided to buy a new printer. An artist in Landsmeer had painted a portrait of Cor Visser, the father of our foundation, who sadly passed away in 2007. We handed that painting of “Papa Cees” to the staff of the orphanages, where it will be hung in the girls building. Everybody was visibly touched.

Other visits to the orphanages
In June 2009, Fiona from Australia visited our orphanages and gave three sparkling shows for the children. Fiona is a professional lady clown, who earns her income in Australia by presenting shows for children. Several weeks each year, however, she puts on shows for free outside Australia in orphanages and for children in underprivileged areas.

A guide from a large travel organization in the Netherlands visited the orphanages with a group of tourists. Also for this year the travel organization is planning trips to Burma. Compared to last year a good number of tourists paid a visit to our orphanages. The positive side of those visits is that tourists often make donations for the orphanages. A year ago, an Englishman donated money to build a large tea house near the orphanages. Tourists could sit here and receive a warm welcome. Inside the tea house a small kitchen has been built, in order to provide the visitors a simple lunch. The tea house has been opened informally by us in November and looks wonderful.

The staff of the orphanages
The staff of the orphanages will be reinforced. We are looking for an assistant to the English teacher and discussions are already going on to appoint a part time computer teacher. We also want to bring the coaching given by some staff members to a higher level by a.o. providing better teaching material. In addition, we are still looking for volunteers who could support the staff members during their working holidays.

Small businesses
Last year we made $ 1600,- available to buy approximately 240 chickens and build a chicken coop. In March 2009, this project has been completed. Since that time a large part of the eggs (some 200 per day) is being sold daily by one of the staff members on the local market. The remaining eggs are being used for own consumption. The revenues of this project have led to an expected recovery of the investment costs within a year, so we have decided to further enlarge the “chicken business” in 2010.

The countryside around the orphanages provides many opportunities to cultivate vegetables. A wholesale business in seeds from the Netherlands has made available to us vegetable seeds to grow a variety of crops in Burma. The vegetables will be used both for private use and for sale on the market.

Because the power supply in Burma is a big problem, one of our contributors donated money for building a type of (small) “powerplant” which uses waste of rice production. There is enough of that material available in Burma. This project has nearly been completed.

With those projects we have taken a big step forward in realizing an important objective of our foundation, namely to have the orphanages become less dependent on foreign donations.

Activities in the Netherlands
Each year there are contributors, who donate money to our foundation in a special way. In 2009, two anniversaries have been celebrated for which no presents but just financial donations were suggested. This money has been donated to our foundation. On the occasion of the Queen’s Birthday, some youngsters have sold second hand stuff at the free market. Their parents doubled the revenues and donated the sum to our foundation.

In October, we organized a meeting in Landsmeer for our donors. With film and slide presentations and discussions we informed the donors about the status of our activities. On the same day, the above-mentioned portrait of Cor Visser, that had been painted by Mieke ter Brake in Landsmeer, was unveiled. This was a very successful meeting attended by approximately 100 donors.

Contacts were made with two foundations in the Netherlands who support two schools in Burma. The objective is to exchange ideas and experiences.

We made a first step to develop a new website. We printed new brochures that we have sent to all donors in the Netherlands. We also distributed the brochures in the waiting rooms of several hospitals and medical doctors.

Thanks
We are extremely thankful for all the support we received in 2009 from you and all other donors, small and large, private persons and commercial institutions, from churches and schools and others.

Thank you very, very much!.

The executive committee: Maria Overmars (chairman), Simon Goede (secretary/treasurer), Robert Schuil and Hans Kreuger (members).

The boys orphanage

The girls orphanage

The staff members