Today, we share Lily’s story, who was a volunteer at Mudita School for 19 months, the longest and most influential volunteer we’ve ever had, and Lily was with us until the end.
Everything started with the elections in November 2020, opposing the NLD (Aung San Suu Ky’si party) and the army-backed USDP party, basically the only party of opposition. The government requisitioned teachers everywhere in Myanmar to help to organise the elections. Htet Eain Gu monastery was transformed to an electoral office and the local teachers helped to prepare the place, following very strict rules (concerning Covid and the election security itself). Everything seems to be a fair and controlled election. The army didn’t accept the landslide victory of the NLD with more than 80% with the risk of losing this time too much of their power and control over the country.
People around me have already started to talk about the possibility of a military coup, fearing this eventuality in the near future. But at this time nobody wanted to believe it. The army claimed fraud but the Myanmar election commission rejected the military’s claim and said that there were no signs of irregularities. The army never brought any evidence of irregularities either. The 1st of February, all ways of communication were shutting down completely: no radio, no TV, no internet, no data. Everybody was tense, with the feeling that something was going on. That day was also the day the new government should form the new parliament so people were suspicious. In the afternoon finally the internet came back… and the terrible news came out: the military took back power and arrested main members of the new elected government. Some people were crying, already measuring the consequences. Burmese experienced dictatorship in the past, for so long already…
Every evening, at 8pm, everywhere in Myanmar, people were meeting together in their house, balcony or backyard and listening to democracy songs, banging pots together. During those moments I could feel how strong their determination was already and I had the feeling to touch just from the very extremity of the finger, a bit of how heavy and painful was for them the weight of the past. Then demonstrations started, everywhere, including in Nyaung Shwe.
There were children, teachers, lawyers, nurses, students, old people… Everything was well organized, at the end of the cortege people were even picking up things to keep the place clean. There was a strong solidarity between locals; some people were distributing food and drinks to the protesters. Everything was quite calm at first; the police were almost invisible at the beginning. Then slowly things went off in another direction.
In Nyaung Shwe as well, things started to change. At night, during the curfew starting at 8pm, some military trucks were patrolling in town, and a re-enforcement of 150 soldiers in town was in place. And one day, the soldiers from Nyaung Shwe received the authorization to shoot with real fire bullets like in other places already in the country. During the night from the Monastery we could hear the shooting guns from town in order to scare the population. People living in the city centre couldn’t sleep anymore; they were too scared. Day after day demonstrations in Nyaung Shwe became more and more difficult, with fewer and fewer protesters who had from now to face armed soldiers. One day in Taunggyi, one independent Polish journalist was beaten badly by the military and arrested (he stayed around 2 weeks in jail next to Kalaw). Today, there are NO official independent journalists who can still report what is happening there, they all have been arrested, intimidated or worse.
At Mudita, things became very tense as well. Some projects similar to Mudita were already forced to close at this time. Some leaders from organisations were arrested or on the run wanted by police. Thus today, almost if that’s not all NGOs were forced to close.
One day, there were 3 trucks which came to the monastery, military and police, they asked the names of everybody who were staying at this place and asked who wanted to get vaccination against Covid-19. One evening, one military truck was parked at the beginning of the small road leading to the village and monastery. Knowing that there were a lot of night raids in which the military arrested people arbitrarily, everybody was scared that would also happen in our monastery.
We stayed as long as we could at Mudita until that night… Around 8pm there was electricity shut down for a few minutes (8pm is the time when normally people banged pots). Then later I heard trucks coming and going, what looked like fire guns or small detonations, people shouting and I saw a huge fire: The “Bamboo Garden” (Mudita’s restaurant, the first Building, located just on your right after the bridge) was burning. The flames were so high and spread so fast, the sky in front of me was all orange with small particles dancing into the air. I went to the forest to hide in case the military were still around and I contacted other people on the phone to know if they were ok and what was happening. I was walking in the dark trying not to use any light to remain discreet but the night was clear enough to see. I will never forget this orange colour in the sky and the deafening stillness and silence of the forest contrasting with the turmoil of what was happening not far from there. Most of the teachers were still around the main school and didn’t look so scared about the police or military danger, only 2 teachers and Mokkhita were also hiding together in the forest. I joined them a few hours later. The military came back to the monastery and said that the managers of the place have to come the day after before 9am at the police station of Nyaung Shwe to sign a paper to take all the responsibility of what they called a simple forest fire (while only one building burnt, not the forest around…) and they asked the villagers to take off and clean everything next early morning (probably in order to make disappearing any proofs of the fire). It became much too risky for anyone to stay there and the project was closed on that night of chaos.
It was terrible to leave like that in the middle of the night, saying goodbye to only a few teachers, in a hurry and confusion, taking the motorbikes and driving in the dark hoping not to meet any military on the way especially during this curfew period. I was so scared for the other teachers who were still at the monastery when I left with one teacher and Mokkhita. I have learned later that even some of them stayed for one or two more days there. That could be really dangerous as the military can arrest anyone anytime without following any rules. As it happened in similar stories, when the military can’t arrest the leaders, they arrest other people instead, people connected to that same organisation. Hopefully, thanks to life, nobody got arrested and finally almost all the Mudita teachers left sooner or later.
On the way to Yangon, we passed many military trucks full of material probably stolen from the villages around or even sometimes with prisoners in the back. After a lot of military checkpoints, a lot of tears, with this feeling of floating in a nightmare, we finally reached a town transformed into a big battlefield. From that point I’ve heard a lot of contradictory stories connected to the monastery. The Sayadaw U Sandima* (the abbot of the monastery) came the next morning after the fire and said first that the leading teacher and Mokkhita did not have to be afraid to go to the police station in Nyaung Shwe. He encouraged them to go to the police and said that he would guarantee their safety. But just a few hours later he said the opposite, that the police were looking after them to arrest them. The day after the fire, straight away, some teachers who were still there have witnessed Vaipulya** and Thumingala*** breaking all the locks swiftly from Mudita’s buildings and collecting all valuables.
*Sayadaw U Sandima: Is the Abbot of the monastic school, but he was rarely coming at the monastery, I think I only met him two times during this 1 and a half year I was there. What I knew about him was that he was supporting the military and was an active member of the “Ma Ba Tha” (also called “Association for the Protection of Race and Religion”), which is an ultra-nationalist Buddhist organization. This organization is inciting violence by giving hate speech and is responsible for deadly communal violence against Muslim. Even if the government of Aung San Suu Kyi tried to ban this organization, the group was still going on in other ways and continued to receive cash donations and support from military figures.
**Vaipulya: is a Chinese novice monk who came in 2020 as Volunteer helper to the school. At this time his name was Mingde. Mokkhita ordained him as a novice monk and trained him in the monastic disciplines. He helped in the project and meditated.
***Thumingala: is a Burmese Monk who is living in the monastery. He is responsible of the novice’s religious education.
They told everyone that Mokkhita and the leading teacher were criminals who abandoned everything for what was just a fire and didn’t take their responsibility. And they asked them to immediately send the car keys and the bank book and to not come back because the police will arrest them. They also sent the computers for “reparation” (even if all of them were working perfectly), probably to sell them out. Vaipulya even wrote and asked help to translate a letter addressed to the court to warn about Mokkhita and the leading teacher which in this political context, this kind of actions could simply have led to very serious or even fatal consequences.
The school in Htet Eain Gu monastery is opening again now, welcoming hundreds of students. Unable to find enough teachers, some students become teachers themselves. In Myanmar, the military stated an “official” school reopening date on June 1st. But officially, more than 125 000 (on a total of 430 000) school teachers have been suspended by the military for their participation in the CDM (Civil Disobedience Movement) and more than half of the teachers are on strike. And between the opposition to the regime and the parents who feared sending their kids in this context of military violence occurring everywhere it would be a total of some 90 percent of Myanmar students who are not attending school under this military regime.
Everywhere in Myanmar, people continue to fight for democracy. In Yangon it looks like a war zone. We could think that the violence happened only in some places, especially in big cities but the truth is that nowhere is safe in the country anymore. In Yangon, some locals prefer to crawl in their own apartment to avoid receiving a fire bullet through the windows!
Over 800 persons died since the 1st of February, more than 4000 persons remained under detention and numbers might be much more important in reality as abductions, torture, disappearance are becoming common. Most of the workers are on strike or lost their jobs, there are no medical place anymore to cure the people or so little (they were the target of military as well), banks are very restricted with a 10% fees on each withdrawal to avoid bank collapse while the kyat is falling apart, the currency has already lost 20% of its value since the military coup. Every evening on the Army’s TV Channel they announced the new list of the people they want to arrest, 20 medical workers plus other civilians, famous actors, artists or writers. Every day, people are afraid to see their own name appearing on the screen. ANYBODY can be arrested, the law is dead.
I feel so sad for those incredible people who only have the chance to experience a few years of an idea of democracy, before being put back down in darkness. I believe that we don’t talk enough about what is happening there in our Occidental countries. So please please please… share about Myanmar with people around you as much as you can, as far as you can.
Lily.
The Village Leader and Mother Nature – inspirational leaders of Inle Lake
Meet Taggyi and Nan Nan, husband and wife who not only work in partnership at home but also for their community in the village and supporting Mudita School.
Nan Nan, is like mother nature. She has flourished our Eco Farm right from the beginning of Mudita School and continues to maintain and educate volunteers who come to work in our gardens.
The Eco Farm is our main source of food as we live a sustainable lifestyle, but it certainly takes community resilience and we would be lost without Nan Nan, that’s for sure!
Before Taggyi started working taking an interest at Mudiuta School, he was a farmer and also mayor of the village.
Taggyi supports our values and sees how we are making a difference and building a better future for our students.
Taggyi helps out in the Eco Farm with his Wife. He is also responsible for school maintenance, especially since launching new building projects, he organises the repair of broken water pipes and laying new concrete paths. A valued member of our community!
Thank you Nan Nan and Taggyi for your continual support and love for Mudita.
Your Mudita Family is extremely grateful for you both.
Hi, I’m Aye Myo from Mandalay
I am a volunteer here at Mudita Foundation and currently supporting the Eco Farm. I have been on the farm for the last 4 months and I absolutely love it.
Having the opportunity to work in and with nature is amazing. Surrounded by stunning hills and fresh air while planting super delicious vegetables is a fantastic job. Next year, I will teach at Mudita Foundation.
I am learning English right now, which is improving every day.
I will teach the students subjects in Science, Social and Myanmar as it is very important to learn about our country and its history.
23 years old
Mingalaba!
My name is Nwe Nwe, I am 23 years old and I have been working at Mudita School since 2017, when the school officially opened.
I teach the students Geography, History and Science.
I am very happy to be working at this monastic school, as I feel I am part of a solution.
I know I am making a difference and helping Mudita build a better future for the students. The children are inspiring, kind and each have their own sense of humour.
We have a lot of fun, and I must say, I learn a lot from the students! Learning English has always been a passion of mine, and I was able to learn English online as well as developing my computer skills.
My hobbies are reading as many books as possible and cooking in the kitchen, especially with oranges, mango, bananas.
My overall goal and aspiration in life is to become a Doctor and, of course, support Mudita.
45 years old
I am the chef of the Bamboo Garden restaurant in the Mudita school. It’s not just a restaurant but also a meeting point for tourists as well as volunteers and children.
I enjoy being part of this now for two years while improving my knowledge and learning English from the volunteers.
I really enjoy the company of various people during the day. That makes my days really interesting and diverse.
18 years old
Mingalaba, my name is Ei Moe, I am 18 years old and I have been supporting Mudita Schhol for approximately 2 months now. I’m currently maintaining the eco farm. I absolutely love working outdoors in nature. Surrounded by rolling hills, music from the birds and watching the self-planted vegetables grow in this thriving environment, they are super delicious! I also teach Grade 2 Science and ensure the students are getting enough physical exercise ona. daily basis.
My life-long ambition is to be a full-time teacher, so I believe I am on the right path, and in the right place right now.
What is important in life? LOVE HAPPINESS KINDNESS EDUCATION FAMILY CHILDREN We would love to know what’s important to you?
45 years old
I’ve been working here since the school opened in 2017. I teach English, geography, history and many other subjects. I really enjoy using the computers in this school.
21 years old
I’m a mathematics teacher for grade 4 to 7. 4 years ago, I started working here in this school. When The Mudita Foundation came over I was very happy for the change that came. I enjoy working with the children very much. They are very smart!
16 years old
I spend most of my working days under the blue sky of the eco farm. It is nice to take your time to understand all the different types of plants we have here. Besides that, I teach several subjects to the older grades. Since the 3 months, I’ve been working here, I also really enjoyed to work on the computers. It is nice to have varied fields to work in.
18 years old
I’m the teacher for grade 1 in all subjects except for mathematics. I’ve been enjoying to teach now for 7 months here. It’s really nice to have the foreign volunteers around to learn from them. Also waking up with the view of the mountains is energizing me every day.
19 years old
I’m teaching grade 2 , 3 and 6 in science, English, geography and the Myanmar subjects. Since 7 months, I’m happy to call the Mudita school my home. It’s nice to walk around the school and seeing all the little self-built bamboo cottages placed on the hillside. It’s amazing to see what we are able to create as a community.
18 years old
I’m teaching 3rd to 5th grade in English, geography and the history of Myanmar. I’ve been giving lessons to the children now for almost 7 months and mostly learned to love the laughter of the children when I felt stressed out. I also enjoy the company of the volunteers a lot! They are making my day much more relaxed and even more fun!
20 years old
l’m an English and Art teacher at the school. I’ve been working here now for over 1 year.Mudita foundation gives me the opportunity to explore my knowledge.
29 years old
I Was teaching English, art and the eco class for the 7th grade. I also helped at the clinic and managed the volunteers. I’ve been a part of the project from the very beginning in 2016. I value the most unique characteristics of this project by sharing knowledge and joy in a peaceful community. It’s really nice to be with all kinds of nations and age groups. That is what makes me happy about this place for about 4 years now.
28 years old
My name is Moe. I been teacher about 8 years. Since i finished my high school start worked as a teachers in Sagaing Aung Myae oo monastic education school. I was in the class teacher, teaching by Mathematics, science, English for different grade. I was also attended the teacher training, learning by myself to become good for myanmar education on the other hand improve for our new generation. When i’m working in Sagaing school, i met the founder of Mudita Foundation Bhante Mokkhita. By that time he and me started organize new education system in one of Monastic school in Naungshwe. In the school ( called Htet Eain Gu school organize by Mudita foundation ) i got more responsibility not being in the class. I’m happy and enjoy with my responsibility taking care Finances, organization part, translator, Teacher training ( training for our new teachers). Last year i went for an internship to germany for 3 months. This year as well I’m going internship again for 3 months. All organized by mudita foundation.
19 years old
I’ve been working here for almost 2 years now. I teach the children in the handling of computers, electric installations and civil education. The children make me happy with their smile. I often play with them during my breaks. They are really kind and cute.
25 years old
I’m a teacher for English and eco farming at the school. Managing the volunteers is also one of my tasks. I’ve been working here now for 4 months and love being with the kids. They are really grateful and funny.
23 years old
Since 2017, I’ve been working in the kindergarten, teaching bamboo handicrafts and organizing the sports classes. Mudita Foundation is like my home, it’s very comfortable to stay here. It feels like a big family with all the volunteers, teachers and especially with the lovely kids. This Year I plan to go to Germany to do an internship and in the school year 2020/21 I will start working in the Mudita primary school. We also planned to open a Waldorf Kindergarten training center which I will lead.