Our Activities

We aim to provide opportunities for the less advantaged in our society and to alleviate their sufferings in a way we can. We try to reach and provide support to orphanages, prahita (non-profit) welfare schools, institutions, individual patients, hospitals, and special health projects. We provide assistance either in cash or in kind. We do it alone or in collaboration with other groups.

Each year, our donation activities start in January and continue through out the year. Through our web updates, donors are informed of each year's work.

Metta Spectrum Activities

Your donations have reached the following people, institutions and projects. We now have achieved what we set out to achieve and this visible success is an encouragement for further activity.

We have provided funds for special projects for the treatment of eye diseases by foreign specialists at Mt. Popa Clinic.
At Eye Hospital in Yangon we have contributed to hospital emergency fund. We have also helped needy patients in the hospital ward by handing out cash to incur medical expenses.
At Children's Hospital in Yangon, we provided funds for emergency needs of Dengue Fever Ward and also contributed to the Hospital fund
In Yangon, Tanyin, Twante, and Kyaikhteeyo, we have provided funds for 19 orphanages and prahita schools, school for deaf children and training school for girls; in Mandalay, home for girls; and in Monywa, home for the aged.
For prahita school in Dar Pain, we have provided school benches
We have given material aids for new born babies and nursing mothers of Myanmar workers group in Mahachai area in Thailand.
We have also provided food, educational aids, sports facilities and toys for prahita school children of Myanmar workers group in Mahachai area in Thailand.

No.	Donated places in 2006 – 2007
1	Special campaigns by foreign specialists for treatment of eye diseases at Mt. Popa Clinic.
2	Kyaikhteeyo Prahita school & Home for children
3	Htaut Kyant Child Care Centre
4	Prahita School, Bahan
5	Prahita School, Tanyin
6	Aye Yeikmon, Home for Girls, Mandalay
7	Metta Wadi Prahita School and Home for children, Hlaing
8	Home for the Aged, Monywa
9	Thinkankyun Prahita School and Home for children
10	Poenyakayee Prahita School and Home for children
11	Padauk Shwewar Prahita School, Kyaukyetwin
12	Nan Oo Prahita School, Kyaukyetwin
13	Children Hospital, Yangon
14	Dangue Fever Ward, Children Hospital, Yangon
15	Jetawun Prahita School, Myaynigone, Sanchaung
16	Mary Chapman School for the deaf children, Yangon
17	Yadana Theingi Prahita School and Home for girls, Hlaing Tharyar
18	Eye Hospital, Yangon, Cash donation to needy patients in hospital ward and contribution to hospital emergency fund.
19	Myitha Myo Oo Monastic School and Youth Development Center, South Okkalapa
20	Yadanarbon Yeiknyein Prahita School and Home for children, Thingangyun
21	Tharthana Yetkita School and Home for children, South Okkalapa
22	Prahita School and Home for children, South Okkalapa
23	Vitharkhar Prahita School and Home for girls, Dagon Myothit
24	Ngapyawkyunn Prahita School, Thaketa
25	Prahita School, Shwepyithar
26	Phayargyi Village Prahita School and Home for children, Twante
27	Padauk Myaing Prahita School, Dar Pain, Hle Guu, (School benches)
28	Prahita School, Mayangone Township
29	Training school for girls, Mayangone
30	Material aids for new born babies and nursing mothers, Myanmar workers group, Mahachai, Thailand
31	Food, educational aids, sports facilities and toys for Prahita School, Myanmar workers group, Mahachai, Thailand

New Additions for 2008

Metta Spectrum for 2008 will try to have a wide range of activities. In addition to activities of supplying food, medicines, teaching aids, sports facilities, items for personal hygiene etc., we aim to more effectively and efficiently assist the welfare programs.

These are our new additions:

* Developing Vegetable Gardens for self sufficiency

This will bring plenty of fresh home grown vegetables to childrens' dining table. Fresh, tasty and nutritious meals are essential for childrens' healthy growth. Now we are trying to raise the awareness of the significance of taking fresh vegetables for nutrition and most importantly how vegetable gardens can make substantial contribution to our purpose which is healthy growth of our children.

* Setting up Libraries for developing Bala Ngadan

By investing in libraries, we will try to nourish the talents of our children. Metta Spectrum, starting from 2008, is setting up libraries at various places with books specially selected for the development of bala ngadan _ five strengths (strength of the body, strength of wisdom, strength of character, strength of wealth, strength of friends).

We are trying our best to get good books (English/Myanmar) that can help build bala ngadan. A good portion of your money will go for setting up libraries. We need good books for the growing and curious minds. Starting from now, we are selecting books and special care is being taken to get the best ones. Well selected books will help our children to help themselves.

2008 Urgent Call: Cyclone Nargis

We are unable to describe in words our deep sadness for what has happened in our country due to Cyclone Nargis. The devastation caused by recent cyclone Nargis in five states and divisions of Lower Myanmar is of unprecedented magnitude requiring extensive relief and rehabilitation work. The Delta region is the worst-hit area. Thousands of people are dead and thousands are missing, thousands are injured, homeless and starving.

Thousands of children are dead and thousands have become orphans. The cyclone victims are in dire need of water, food, clothing, medicine and shelter. Our help is urgently needed. We will attend to this urgent call as best as we can since rehabilitation of the disaster victims requires efforts from all of us. Our Yangon team is ready to reach out to the affected people.

* Responding to the urgent call

Metta Spectrum is actively engaged in the relief and rehabilitation work. If you would like to contribute, you can contribute through Metta Spectrum. Whatever amount it may be, your contribution means a lot for the victims. [See more details]

myanmar cyclone nargis

* Our Relief Work

Metta Spectrum has spread out relief supplies and cash donations to places where immediate help is needed. Villagers from Laputta and Dedaye areas received clothes, towels, blankets, bed sheets and footwear.

People in Kawhmu and Kungyangone areas got clothes, candles, rice, medicine and cash. Special Tarpaulin sheets were donated to families in Dagon Seikkan township to make shelter as it was found that they needed shelter most. Almost all the relief providers are giving priority to hardest hit villages and towns in the Delta. As this place is near Yangon city, it is not getting much attention as it should be though their houses were blown off by Nargis.

The community of about 2,000 residents is in urgent need of shelter. Nearly about 400 families need shelter more than any other thing. So Metta Spectrum has addressed this urgent need by donating for the construction of temporary shelter together with other donors. One volunteer group is supervising the construction. The first phase of construction is only for a hundred families. Hence, more funding is urgently needed to complete the task for the whole community. Tarpaulin sheets to shelter one family costs 20, 000 kyats.

For the severely stricken areas in the Delta, cash donations have been made through the following groups:

Myanmar Medical Association
Sitagu Sayadaw Gyi's group
Sayadaw Ashin Sekeinda's group

Donations have been made and will continue to be made at the cyclone hit areas.

* Orphans/ Elderly People

Rendering support to the orphans has been one of our main tasks. The number of orphans at the orphanages is most likely to be on the increase after the cyclone. So more effort is to be made to give our continuous support to these institutions.

While to strengthen the support system of the orphanages seems to be an urgent need, there is also another pressing task to attend to. That is to attend to the elderly people who have lost their families and homes due to the cyclone. They need to be taken into care. The situation calls for our deep concern. We feel that this is an issue that should be addressed at the same level of emphasis by all of us.

* Metta Spectrum takes care of your contribution to reach the really needed people

2008

We would like to sincerely express our profound gratitude for your generous contribution to Metta Spectrum (MS). Setting up of libraries, developing vegetable gardens, contributing to hospitals and attending to general welfare of the children at the orphanages/ monastic schools were undertaken in 2008, in addition to responding to the emergency call in Cyclone Nargis stricken areas.

Your participation is crucial. With the combination of your good will and dedicated efforts of MS team, we are confident that we can make a difference. Indeed, our hearts are connected with a thread of deep concern. So with our joint commitment, we can work hard together on possibles so that they become reality.

No matter how often or how much you contribute you can all be proud of the satisfactory and good outcome. Our donations have proved to be worthwhile. Your contribution is never late. MS donation is an on-going process and the donation activities are year-round activities. Our 2009 activities have already been started at some places.

2008 Donation Activities

Table 1

Places donated	Items	Remarks
Byugone Prahita Kyaung, Gyogone	Garden tools for developing vegetable garden	Self-sufficiency and nutrition
Mingalar Prahita Kyaung, Phayargyi Ywar, Twante	Seeds, fertilizer for developing vegetable garden	Self-sufficiency and nutrition
Myinthar Myo Oo Prahita Kyaung, South Okkala	Water tank shelf badminton rackets, shuttlecocks, leather balls for football, chinlons	Infrastructure Games and sports
Witharkhar Prahita Kyaung, Dagon Myo Thit	Rice bags Carbolic soap bars, detergent packets, cotton roll, Burscabe bottles, Hacks and Vicks	Food Health and hygiene
Mt. Popa Hospital, Mt. Popa	Cash donation	Health
Sasana Yetkhita Prahita Kyaung (Waing Tit), South Okkala	Mosquito nets	Health

Table 2

Places donated	Items	Remarks
Disable School, Yangon	Drawing kits, puzzle boxes, A3 paper packet, badminton rackets, shuttlecocks, softballs for football	Teaching aids Sports and games
Aung Myae Thukha Prahita Kyaung, Bahan	Library books	General knowledge
Tharyargone Prahita Kyaung, Tanyin	Library books	General knowledge
Metta Wadee Prahita Kyaung, Yangon	Library books	General knowledge
Ahmyothamee Gaher, Mandalay	Library books	General knowledge
Pyinnar Paramee Library, Bangkok	Books, book shelves, wooden cupboards, carpets stationery	General knowledge

Table 3

Places donated	Items	Remarks
Dagon Seikkan	Tarpaulin tents	Cyclone relief: Shelter for Cyclone victims
Kyauk-sa-yit Ywar, Kawhmu	Pe-war-lay packets, Pe-kyar-zan packets Robe and cash donation for Sayadaw	Cyclone relief
Kungyangone	Rice Candles Cash donation for household	Cyclone relief
Laputta Dedaye Kungyangone	Clothes for men, women, children, blankets, towels, bed sheets, footwear and varieties of household things	Cyclone relief

Table 4

Places donated	Items	Remarks
9th, 11th, 12th, 18th wards Karen Su, Pyapon	Rice for 220 households ------------------------ Clothes, shawls, footwear, bags, household things	Cyclone relief
Tharmanay Parahita Kyaung, Pyapon	Rice bags, Cash ------------------------ plates, cups and saucers (ceramic /melamine ware), glasses, kitchen stuff	Cyclone relief Cash donation for repairing the building destroyed by cyclone
Baptist Church, Pyapon	Rice bag, Cash	Cyclone relief
Home for the Aged, Pyapon	Cash for the Home, Cash for 23 Ah-phoes and Ah-phwas	Cyclone relief
Sitagu Sayardaw Gyi's Group	Cash donation	Cyclone relief: Contributing for the cyclone Nargis fund
Sayardaw Ahshin Chekinda's Group	Cash donation	Cyclone relief: Contributing for the cyclone Nargis fund
Myanmar Medical Association	Cash donation	Cyclone relief: Contributing for the cyclone Nargis fund

Fund raising for Cyclone Nargis victims

* A fund raising sale for cyclone Nargis victims was organized by Metta Spectrum at Mahidol University, Salaya campus, Bangkok.
* Fund raising activities for cyclone relief fund was organized by a group of friends at Ottawa. Our heart felt thanks to the organizers and donors for their concern and rendering a substantial amount to assist the affected people at such a disastrous time.

Library Books

For our library project, to get suitable books, several visits had to be made to the book stores, book exhibitions and publishing houses. As a result, we could get hold of a wide variety of books in both Myanmar and English ranging from stories to culture, from history to general knowledge and from health to science.

In 2009

We will continue to develop more libraries and more vegetable gardens while at the same time addressing other needs. Generally speaking, people are mostly aware that libraries are necessary but the benefits of keeping a vegetable garden still needs more awareness. We are working hard to make these two projects to be more successful and it is hoped that in the near future many libraries and vegetable gardens would appear.

More gifts for children: We believe having an opportunity to have access to good books and to play music can create a happy and healthy atmosphere. So it will be organized for the children and young people to have some musical instruments along with the books and things for sports. We have learned that there are some prahita schools where music classes are being organized under the supervision of professionals.

Talent and potential: Programs of giving prizes and gifts to the winners and participants of such activities as storytelling, drawing, and sports and games will be organized to nourish the childrens’ talents and to develop their potential. At these events, participation and collaborative work will be highly recognized. Last year, unfortunately, Nargis hit the delta and we had to respond to the urgent call of the cyclone stricken areas focusing on relief and rehabilitation. Also in 2009, we will continue to attend to the needs of these cyclone victims. We have put on our priority list the cyclone related orphanages and some places where the cyclone had hit mercilessly.