Led to Better Futures!

In March 2022, brothers *Ag Ag & *Zaw Zaw happened upon Tha Ngae Chin Myar, Friends International Myanmar (FIMM) when they followed a group of children bringing lunch boxes to the program center. Our #everydayheroes (FIMM staff) were handing out nutritious meals as part of emergency support to families who were heavily impacted by the pandemic and the current political climate in Myanmar. 

The brothers had not been able to attend school, their family of seven (7) only relied on the plastic bottles the family collected every day to make a little money. Their father is disabled, he lost one leg because of diabetes, so he stays home to take care of the younger children. 

In July 2022, FIMM’s team of #everydayheroes visited the community where Ag Ag and Zaw Zaw’s family . live,located in one of the slum areas of Yangon. The team met with the brothers’ mom to talk more about the different services FIMM had available to support their family.

Ag Ag and Zaw Zaw’s mom was happy to send the brothers to FIMM headquarters to attend the non-formal education classes to catch-up with their education. She also started working with the team in making a plan towards creating a better future for the family. The team worked with the father in his rehabilitation, connecting him to services at the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH) which still continues.

The team regularly visits Ag Ag and Zaw Zaw’s family to see how they are doing and to see which other areas the family needs support in. Their mother is very grateful to see her family’s condition improve and to be working with FIMM to overcome more challenges daily. She has become a local ambassador in spreading awareness about FIMM’s services in the community. Currently, she is working with the team to set up her own small business to better support the family. 

Ag Ag and Zaw Zaw are continuously attending the non-formal education classes and are happily learning with their peers. Hopefully, they can be reintegrated to regular school soon!