How has the Coup in Myanmar effected Blessing Hands' programs there.

 

The Taubu Villagers must pay for their road which the old government promised but the new military government rejects. They owe $7,120 for 3 and 1/2 miles.

How will the Villagers pay for their road now?

Some of the people in the Taubu Villages have never seen a car. They were excited about a road and school that was promised by their democratic Government for 2021. They went ahead and contracted with a backhoe owner to start the road in faith that the former government would pay. They got 3 and 1/2 miles done before the coup. The new government is not honoring the former government's promises. The villagers are left with the $7,160 bill for the incomplete road. They got a good price for the road because the road worker and backhoe owner are Mara people from India from their same tribe. It was a deal between Christian friends. Now the frantic backhoe owner has a large payment on a loan he made for the backhoe and is being threatened by the bank with jail or repossession of the backhoe. The villagers will still need $1,100 to pay for the last 1/2 mile to finish the road.

The village people have no money to pay. They don't even use money but have a barter economy. They provided the backhoe driver a free place to stay and eat for several months and helped clear the road. They even built their own motorcycle road in 2018. It was narrow and dangerous through their steep mountains, especially in the rainy season. They just had primitive tools like machetes. Before they built the motorcycle road, it was two days by foot to the nearest town. Now it is a day's journey to Matupi by motorcycle. Most roads are not paved and mini buses often caravan in groups of 2 to 4 to support each other in case of engine trouble, etc.

Our administrator, Bie Paw, sold the family cow and fled to a refugee camp in Maylaya as a young man because of persecution by the then Buddhist military dictatorship. He learned to drive a truck and survived a terrible motor accident there. He vowed to help his village and gave his life to God's service after the accident. He finally came to our local college through a US refugee program. Blessing Hands first learned about the needs in Myanmar from him. He will not accept any pay but wants everything for his villagers. We have been helping two tribal areas with school equipment. These villages are very primitive living almost the life of two hundred years ago. They live in small houses of bamboo or tin and use slash and burn agriculture methods. Blessing Hands is the only group they know to ask for emergence aid with their road debit. They are helping themselves, and we hope you will help them also. You can give for the road by sending a check to our address 106 Timber Ln, Morehead, KY 40351, or click the button below to give on our website.

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