"Why not our children?"
May is five years old, with bright eyes and a clear sense of what she wants. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up, because she wants to heal her neighbours. She also wants to attend preschool.
In Kangyidaunt, preschool has been unheard of for generations. Children here go straight from home into kindergarten. They turn up on the first day having never held a pencil, never sat in a classroom, never been read to by a teacher. For most of them, the transition is not easy.
That's something May's mum Wai has watched happen in her village over and over again. Kids show up to Kindergarten with a deep fear of teachers and strangers. They struggle, they fall behind, and many drop out. Wai has seen the pattern long enough to recognise it and doesn’t want it to happen to her daughter.
Wai's vision didn't come out of nowhere. It came from looking across the Darka River. On the other side, in Thabaung Township, she had seen World Vision community-based preschools in action with bright rooms and happy kids. Children walking into Kindergarten already knowing their alphabet, already comfortable around teachers, already used to being part of a group. She watched those children and asked the obvious question.
"Why not our children?"
So she got to work.
When World Vision started work in her village, Wai stepped forward as one of the first members of the new Preschool Education Committee. She has completed an intensive month-long preschool teacher training course. The village has allocated land for the school and the community has even drawn up plans for a temporary bamboo structure to get the first classes started.
What's still missing is the school itself.
A bamboo hut can get the work going, but it won't carry the village through another wet season, let alone another generation of teaching children. For preschool to take root properly, the village needs a real building with solid walls and a sturdy roof. A safe place for May and the children growing up behind her to walk into every morning.
World Vision is ready to provide the inside of the school: books, blocks, drawing materials, mosquito nets, bedsheets, and a salary for a dedicated teacher. The community is providing the land, the leadership, and the workforce. The piece in the middle is the infrastructure, which is where supporters like you come in.
"At preschool, children learn more than just the alphabet. They learn to be sociable. They learn to eat by themselves, to be independent, and to love learning. It gives them the confidence to stand tall when they finally reach Kindergarten."
Wai wants her daughter to start kindergarten next year feeling confident and ready to learn. She wants her to have every opportunity to keep up with her classmates, discover her potential, and one day pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.
With your support, children like May can have the strong start they need. Together with the commitment of the community, you can help create a place where children can learn, grow, and build a brighter future.
Read more about Kangyidaunt
In Kangyidaunt, preschool has been unheard of for generations. Children here go straight from home into kindergarten. They turn up on the first day having never held a pencil, never sat in a classroom, never been read to by a teacher. For most of them, the transition is not easy.
That's something May's mum Wai has watched happen in her village over and over again. Kids show up to Kindergarten with a deep fear of teachers and strangers. They struggle, they fall behind, and many drop out. Wai has seen the pattern long enough to recognise it and doesn’t want it to happen to her daughter.
Wai's vision didn't come out of nowhere. It came from looking across the Darka River. On the other side, in Thabaung Township, she had seen World Vision community-based preschools in action with bright rooms and happy kids. Children walking into Kindergarten already knowing their alphabet, already comfortable around teachers, already used to being part of a group. She watched those children and asked the obvious question.
"Why not our children?"
So she got to work.
When World Vision started work in her village, Wai stepped forward as one of the first members of the new Preschool Education Committee. She has completed an intensive month-long preschool teacher training course. The village has allocated land for the school and the community has even drawn up plans for a temporary bamboo structure to get the first classes started.
What's still missing is the school itself.
A bamboo hut can get the work going, but it won't carry the village through another wet season, let alone another generation of teaching children. For preschool to take root properly, the village needs a real building with solid walls and a sturdy roof. A safe place for May and the children growing up behind her to walk into every morning.
World Vision is ready to provide the inside of the school: books, blocks, drawing materials, mosquito nets, bedsheets, and a salary for a dedicated teacher. The community is providing the land, the leadership, and the workforce. The piece in the middle is the infrastructure, which is where supporters like you come in.
"At preschool, children learn more than just the alphabet. They learn to be sociable. They learn to eat by themselves, to be independent, and to love learning. It gives them the confidence to stand tall when they finally reach Kindergarten."
Wai wants her daughter to start kindergarten next year feeling confident and ready to learn. She wants her to have every opportunity to keep up with her classmates, discover her potential, and one day pursue her dream of becoming a doctor.
With your support, children like May can have the strong start they need. Together with the commitment of the community, you can help create a place where children can learn, grow, and build a brighter future.
Read more about Kangyidaunt