Leading her peers into the future
Pan* is 15 and in Year 10 at school. She is also a leader of her local children’s group. Thanks to Pan’s efforts she and the children in her village now have a better chance of completing their education. Students in the village have a library where they can borrow and read books just like children in the UK, and an evening learning corner where they can take advantage of solar powered lights to study after the sun goes down.
A community in the dark
Pan lives in a riverside village in central Myanmar, where children from wealthy families are sent to another town to finish their secondary school education and where children from poorer families drop out and go to work.
The children who are stuck in the middle lack basic study tools like books, electricity and light. For Pan and her peers, completing their education is an uphill struggle.
Helping children to speak up
A few years ago World Vision helped found a youth group in Pan’s community, of which Pan has become the leader. Inspired by her own struggles at school, Pan decided to campaign for the changes necessary so that any student, regardless of their background, would have the tools they need to succeed.
“I wanted to have a library in my village so that children could access books and have knowledge to protect themselves and develop,” Pan says.
“We agreed we wanted to have library in our village, but the problem was the place and the building. We raised our voice to the adult group and our enthusiasm and activeness made them agree to look for the funding for land and a building,” Pan says.
One elderly woman was especially touched by the children’s enthusiasm, and gave some of her land to construct the library. Her sons donated the money to construct the building, World Vision supplied the books and eight months later the children’s library was complete.
“In our library, we have about 200 variety of books - essays for the students, general knowledge, religious, story books and cartoons. ” Pan says with a proud smile.
More battles to wage
The library complete, Pan considered what other changes might help her and her friends to do well and complete their education.
There’s no electricity in Pan’s village, which makes it difficult to study after school. After failing her Year 10 exam last year, Pan became convinced that extra study time in the evening would have made all the difference.
“I don’t want other children to be like me. I want everyone to pass their exams,” Pan shares.
Again, Pan went to the youth group and presented their ideas to the local government. Officials and the community quickly saw the merit of Pan’s proposal and an evening reading corner is now open. Moved by the youth group’s determination World Vision also donated solar lamps for the corner and organised four volunteer tutors to help the children study.
“Although this evening learning corner has started just for one month, I strongly believe that this class will allow children to pass their years regularly,” Pan smiles.
“When we are educated, we will have more opportunity for decent job. As we have more educated people in the community, our village will be more developed,” Pan says firmly.
World Vision works in Myanmar and many other countries around the world on education and other crucial projects. For International Day of the Girl this Saturday we are celebrating girls like Pan, whose efforts are changing their communities and the futures of the girls and boys living there for the better.
*Pan's name has been changed for Child Protection reasons.