Receiving more donations again this week, tables and chairs for the primary school, school uniforms, shoulder bags, writing materials and all staffs; our aim from one of our rebuild project is to have kids on board in time without single worry. It was Friday 13th June 2008 that we were supposed to hit the road. We have been busy almost the whole day to get things to ship away to Pyapon. Mean while, we are transporting from MLA international school at Golden Velly in Yangon the ship schedule is able to change in no time. Naung Naung who watched and waited at the Lamadaw jetty called finally at 06.30PM that the ship to Pyapon has already disembarked. Missed it. Abandoned!! Yet we can have truck right away, we postpone to another week to transport the chairs and tables to save money. Water way down to Delta from Yangon is refuntioning since 3rd week after the storm.
 
Friday 13th June 2008: We take this time a different route; save time and money. It is 20 miles less than the route we used to go via Kyaik Latt. We now take the route via the immediate and other bank of Yangon, Dala town. We leave at 06.30 AM from Pansodan jetty by ferry to reach the other bank, Dala. We take a wagon type taxi from Dala around 07.15 AM. The volunteers this time is only four, Naung Naung, Kyaw Min, Kyaw Soe Win and myself. U Kyaw Nyunt who can lead the team and organize Pyapon logistics as he is a native, will be waiting for us at our station in Pyapon.
 
Passing through Twante and Dedaye townships, we arrive to Pyapon around 10.15 AM in the morning. This most fastest record we ever did. U Kyaw Nyut waited for us with a brunch before the trip to Too-Myaung village. He already arranged the boat, with additional 25 sacks of cements in one of our rebuild projects, a communal water tank which has been using more than it was estimated since they have loose soil, the foundation goes deeper.
 
We put pile of staffs over two trishaws - three-wheel bicycles of local transport - to the jetty of Pyapon, to load on to the boat. We have brought this time with us, (1) 2 extra pairs of school uniforms for 117 student girls and boys, +++, 5 teachers,120 shoulder bags+++, 40 writing slates materials used in grade 1, 4 box of chalks, 160 dozens of excerise books, pencils, pens, rulers, earisers, 5 umberellas for teachers and buskets for daily usage. Details I believe of those will be posted in other category of this site such as Financial Reports and who donated us for a matching.
 
The boat leaves around 11.00AM. The weather is cloude. Tide is high. Rain is coming when we reach to the top nook of creek - the turn from main river, Pyapon. We reach to the village at 12.30 PM. Piled up things at the floor of cyclone shelter monastery, Tharyarsi monastery. The chief monk is calling out villagers to shoulder and carry them to the primary school which we 3 weeks ago made replacement of zinc roofs.
 
Walking through the village, about 10 minutes in the rain the school in the green field appears. We discuss with the headmaster for delivery to kids which she has been informed of our visit and it's really honored to have all the school mates and kids on sight Saturday. The delivery takes a bit of time though we all organized once in the office part and parcel of delivery; shirts, trousers and skirts according to age of kids, different use of materials from grade 1 to 5. For an instance, kids at grade 1 as very begining of their school years, Myanmar kids mostly use "stone-slates and writers" so that they can write and earise repeatedly and it is safe from cost and enviormental issues. Also, they must use 4 color lined excerise books apart from the stone slates so they can memorize and learning alphabets in right place how to write systematically. And until 5th grade, no students use pen but pencils with earisers. Differences differ in one way or the other.
 
Kids are not only ones so exited, their parents as well. As we know this year they can't afford to buy those staffs for their own kids or they might have tons of problems with their living so it's a kind of relif and they are encouraged to get kids on board. This is it. Overjoyed they are. Our plan of this time is another success. The delivery one by one kids, is done at 03.00 PM. The headmaster said "thank you" for our arrangement all nooks and corners.
 
We immediately must leave after delivery because we do not have this time a bus or truck with us awaited in Pyapon. We must take a taxi same way back to Yangon through Dedaye road and the ferry across Yangon river is close at 7PM. We are in Pyapon back 04.00 PM and just hit the road to catch the ferry. The wagon is speedy as he knows how to drive to reach. It's adventurous but bona fide ride. The ferry boat which can carry more than 700 passengers at a time, is about to leave when we arrive. We chase to it slashing busy crowds at Dala jetty. We got it!! The earliest record of our travel down this time a bit comfortable than we ever did before. If there is some way we can travel like this again down to Delta, we would choose this way.

Reported by
Frankie
Monday, 16 June 2008