HeArt Launches New Items at Christmas Bazaars

The colorful CD card set, a great Christmas gift at only RM10

Last week we launched HeArt's latest products at the American Women's Bazaar and the Austrian-German-Swiss Christmas Bazaar. We had a very good response and many people were attracted to our vibrant colors.

T-shirts wrapped in muffin containers "baked with love" by the Kachin kids :)

Giant poster of kids with words "Baked With Love..."

Lauren and Jade manning the booth at the American Bazaar

We also had many kids supporting us by buying the wine bottle decorations as gifts for their parents. It was inspiring to see kids being so charitable at a young age. There were also several generous people who made donations or paid more than the selling price.

The AGS Christmas Bazaar

Thanks to everyone who bought from us and also to the teachers who volunteered their time to help at the booths. A big thank you also to Martina and the AGS Bazaar for giving us a table for free. In total we raised RM2000 from the 2 bazaars alone and hopefully we can raise more in the weeks to come. Do drop me a line at my.beautiful.myanmar@gmail.com if you know of any other bazaars coming up where we might be able to sell our items too. Cheers!

New HeArt Items for Sale!

Last year we launched the HeArt project to raise funds for the two Kachin schools. This year we have some new items for sale which are also designed by the students. All proceeds will go towards supporting the two schools.

The schools have lost a few of their regular donors so they are in need of financial help to pay for the students' meals, rental, electricity, etc.

We hope to raise enough money through the HeArt project to sustain both schools. Please help support this and also spread the word around. Thanks a lot!

You can also find out more information and see more photos at
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=171756634527&v=photos&ref=ts

We are also helping to support the Kachin women refugees through sales of their products (ie. water bottle holders made from recycled plastic bags and knitted Christmas wine bottle toppers)

For orders or more information drop an email to my.beautiful.myanmar@gmail.com

Children's water bottle holder - RM20 (assorted colors and sizes)

5-piece CD card set (original artwork by Kachin students), can be used as postcards or displayed in special CD case - RM10

Christmas wine bottle toppers made by Kachin women, great as gifts! RM10 per pair (hat & scarf), assorted colors

Heart lucky charm on side of sleeve

Limited Edition Goddess of Love Ladies' T-shirts. Original artwork of Venus De Milo Kachin style drawn by Kachin student - RM35, one color, Sizes S & M only (M is quite big)

Back of T-shirt

Packaging of T-shirt

Set of 3 postcards depicting the journey from Myanmar to Malaysia. Artwork by the younger refugee students - RM5 for set of 3

The Journey - Myanmar Village

The Journey - Through The Jungle

The Journey - Life in Malaysia

2011 Calendar, approx 6 x 3 inches, includes Malaysian holidays - RM5

Convenient and easy to carry around or placed on your desk

Packaging

KRC Emerge Champs at Faisal Cup 2010

The KRC (Kachin Refugee Community) schools of New Generation and Victory were sweeping up trophies at the Faisal Cup in September. The U16 Boys football team won the championship trophy, the U14 were 1st runner-up and the U10 team 2nd runner-up.

The girls were not to be outdone, in Netball they won 1st runner-up for the U16 team and the U10 and U14 teams won the championship titles!

Congratulations KRC for a fantastic performance!

New Generation Pre-schoolers Forced to Relocate

A few weeks ago the New Generation pre-school was given a week to clear out of their current school premises as the building had been sold and was going to be converted into a hotel. Volunteers had even spent time and money to paint the school walls and rooftop so it was with a heavy heart that the pre-schoolers had to move.

Thank God the teachers managed to find a new location for the school which is only a few minutes walking distance from the old place. However the monthly rental is a lot more expensive at RM1800 per month as compared to RM1400. We hope to raise more funds for the school through sales of the children's artwork during the upcoming Christmas Bazaars.

On the brighter side the children no longer have to walk past the drug addicts who used to gather at the dimly lit stairwell everyday. The place used to be littered with used needles and other drug paraphernalia, definitely not a conducive place for them to study. Hopefully the new school premises will be a lot safer for the pre-schoolers.

Football Clinic with Manchester United Legend - Bryan Robson

In August this year over a dozen students were lucky enough to be invited for an exclusive football clinic with legendary ManU player Bryan Robson. He was the longest serving captain with Manchester United and was also the Manager of Sheffield Utd.

Robson was in town to promote TM's partnership with ManU as the official telco partner. He spent over an hour in the blistering heat to run the kids through some football drills. The fun event was held at the football field of Garden International School.

It was a great experience for the children and a perfect warm up for their Faisal Cup tournament in September. Thanks to Total Sports Asia for inviting the students. It was a day they'll never forget!

World Cup Fever!

 This summer the students were all excited about the World Cup in South Africa so it was only fitting that the top students in both New Generation and Victory Schools receive exclusive and original World Cup merchandise for their hard work. Congratulations to the top students as well as the most improved students. For everyone else let this inspire you to do your best in your next exams!

Better Late Than Never!

Apologies for not posting any recent updates as I have been extremely busy. I will be posting some of the activities and events involving the two schools over the past few months. Thanks for your patience!

Students Get New Uniforms

Pre-school students at the New Generation and Victory Schools were elated to finally have their very own school uniforms. For many of these refugee students education is a privilege and not a birthright and they treasure the few hours they get each day in their makeshift schools. New Generation and Victory are just a few of the refugee schools which are being run by the Myanmar refugee community. UNHCR helps to fund some of these schools while others are funded by generous donors and church groups.

Students at New Generation and Victory were able to raise funds for their schools through sales of My Beautiful Myanmar which was launched 2 years ago. Through the book they raised enough money to donate RM25,000 to World Vision Myanmar in aid of Cyclone Nargis victims back in their homeland. The rest of the money collected has been used for school supplies, AV equipment, meals, school trips, events, etc. In fact it was through these funds that they managed to make the school uniforms.

Every student who gets relocated to a new country is also given a gift of RM100 each. Quite a few of the children whose stories are in the book are now enjoying new lives in countries like the US, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia. 

We hope the public will continue to support the schools by purchasing the books which are being sold at RM15 each. You can send an email to my.beautiful.myanmar@gmail.com to buy the books. Thanks for your support!

Food Donors Welcome

Aside from clothes, household items & toys the Kachin refugee community are always in need of basic food supplies and toiletries. There are also many mothers who cannot afford the high cost of baby formula.  If you are in a position to donate such items do drop an email to me at my.beautiful.myanmar@gmail.com

Recently we received a generous food donation from Debora who has been a regular contributor to the community. The food will be used for the refugee students' meals and also distributed among the neediest families. Thanks so much Debora!

Jumble Sale Raises Almost RM2500

Over the weekend close to RM2500 (USD800) was raised through a charity jumble sale. All the items were donated and proceeds will go to the two Kachin refugee schools (New Generation & Victory). The unsold items were donated to the refugee community.

Thanks so much to all those who donated their 2nd hand items (and some were brand new and unused!). Thanks also to all those who bought our items at the sale. The money raised will be used for school supplies, meals for the students and will also help supplement salaries for the refugee teachers, many of whom work for minimum wages.

If you have any items to donate please send an email to my.beautiful.myanmar@gmail.com We will have a few jumble sales throughout the year and this is a great way to raise funds for the schools. Thanks!

Charity Jumble Sale at IBU Bazaar Sat May 8th

We will be having 2 booths at the upcoming annual IBU Jumble Sale and all proceeds from sales will go towards the Kachin refugee schools. We've got boxes of donated items to sell as well as HeArt products which feature original designs from the children (greeting cards & gift wrap).

Do come support us and do a bit of shopping for a good cause. Details:

Date: Saturday May 8th
Time: 10am-3pm
Venue: Bangsar Village II (opposite Kidzsports)
Tickets at RM10 at the door (proceeds go to charity)

See you there!

Alice Smith's Interact Club Raises Funds for Refugee Schools

A few weeks ago a group of Interact Club students from the Alice Smith School paid a visit to the New Generation School. The students were from all over the world including the Netherlands, UK, USA and Fiji. The NG students were delighted to watch a slideshow presentation of what life was like in these different countries. The boys were especially attentive when it came to listening to the pretty Alice Smith girls! :)

The group had dropped by to present over RM4000 to the schools. This money was raised by the Interact Club through selling of candy canes over Christmas and roses over Valentine's Day. The students also raised close to RM900 in December selling some of the HeArt products of which all proceeds go towards the Kachin schools.

Thanks so much to Myrthe and her friends from the Interact Club. These gals have such big hearts, their school should be very proud of these future leaders! Myrthe and her mom have also donated many items to be sold at a charity Jumble Sale, all proceeds going to the schools as well.

I'm sure the Kachin students look forward to their next visit!

Myanmar Showcase at International Bazaar

Recently the students from New Generation Learning Center had the opportunity to showcase Myanmar at Garden International School's annual International Bazaar. It was the first time Myanmar was featured at this event. Many students, and some adults, didn't even know where Myanmar was! This year's theme was on the 5 senses of sight, sound, taste, smell and touch. On display were colorful photos of Myanmar's famous landmarks, facts and figures about the country and population, handcrafts, clothing, school books, games, etc. There was also traditional Myanmar music courtesy of budding musicians Raymond & Dominic. There was free food sampling of Myanmar delicacies and the popular spicy dish "balawchong" was also available for sale.

The highlight was when the students performed their traditional Kachin dance on stage. It was a great way to share more about Myanmar's beautiful and diverse culture. Best of all the students and teachers had a chance to visit over 40 countries in one day! They enjoyed themselves visiting all the other countries' booths, sampling the food and finding out more about the culture. Maybe some of them might get resettled in those countries one day...

Thanks to all the students and teachers who helped out and to GIS for giving us the opportunity to share Myanmar's culture with the students.