2008 Updates

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.

What we are now doing in 2009

We continue developing more vegetable gardens and more libraries while at the same time addressing other needs. To make these two projects to be more successful, especially developing vegetable gardens, more time and energy are needed. It is hoped that, in the near future, a time when we can see many well developed libraries and vegetable gardens will come.

More gifts for children: We believe having an opportunity to read good books and to play music can create a happy and healthy atmosphere. So, it will be organized for the children and youth 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 ofprofessionals.

Talent and potential: Programs of giving prizes to the winners and participants of such activities as story telling, drawing, and sports and games will be organized to nourish the childrens' talent 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. In 2009 also, we continue to attend to the needs of these cyclone victims. We have put on our priority list cyclone related orphanages and some places where cyclone had hit mercilessly.