Run for Burma

Fortunately, Mrs Jenkinson and Ms Vacher were out at the race to capture all the highlights! Well done, Mr Wright and Mrs Thomson - we both agreed we could not have done it and that you both did really well...

though, personally I was a bit disappointed Mr Wright

decided not to run in his longyi as did some of the other runners!

This is the front of the 200 or so runners just been given the off!

Here's Mr Wright approaching the finish line looking remarkably fresh!

Closely followed by Mrs Thomson!

"Can I get ma cuppa tea now then?"

If I had been in a photo at the end of this race, I'd have been PURPLE!

Inspiring!

Run for Burma - the Edinburgh run

On Saturday 10 OCtober at 11am, Partners Relief and Development are holding a 5 Km run to raise support for Burmese migrants and refugees. The race starts at 11am and Forthview's own Mr Wright will be taking a 'slow jog' for Burma.

You can read more about it all on www.runforburma.org

You can read more about it all on www.runforburma.org




Afterwards at a free lunch event in St Stephen's Church at 1pm, Zoya Phan will speak about her childhood as th daughter of two parents who were involved in the Karen Resistance movement.

Zoya is from the Karen ethnic group. For decades the Karen have been under attack by Burma's military junta. Her father was General Secretary of the Karen National Union.

When she was 14 years old Burmese army soldiers attacked her village, and herself and her family were forced to flee for their lives. They hid in the jungle and eventually ended up in a Thai refugee camp.

She joined Burma Campaign UK in 2005 and was sponsored when she was a student by Burma Education Scholarship Trust.

In February 2008 her father, Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan, was assassinated by agents of the Burmese military dictatorship in Mae Sot, where Forthview's link school, Hle Bee is situated.

Come along and hear Zoya and cheer on Mr Wright.

Orng,a Burmese student, graduates from Newbattle Abbey College

Orng, is a friend of Ms Vacher and Ms Laing's. He is a BEST student (Burma Educational Scholarship Trust). He is also supported by Prospect Burma, who are the UK charity that use the money Aung San suu Kyi got when she won the Nobel Peace Prize, to support Burmese students in higher education. There is a link to Prospect Burma's work on the right hand side of this page. Prospect Burma also support Dr Thein Lwin's projects to train Burmese Teachers. We were very proud of him today. Now he is going to Glasgow University to study Politics. Well done Orng!

OUR BURMA BOOK exhibition - a wee video clip

Journalists from the Democratic Voice of Burma have made a lovely wee video clip of the exhibition opening. It's in Burmese so is great for our Burmese readers. Scottish readers can guess what it says. People to spot are Dar Dar Kyaw, Tominai, Si Si Win, Phyu Phyu Win and little Bobo from Hle Bee, Murray Forgie, Kyaw Win, Louise Laing and there are others.... If you can play an MP4, enjoy......

OUR BURMA BOOK opens in Chiang Mai

OUR BURMA BOOK exhibition opened in Chiang Mai on Saturday 22 August 2009.

The exhibition is in Lur Cafe, Soi 9, Nimanhemin, Chiang Mai.

Louise Laing spoke at the opening on behalf of the Scottish schools

and then Burmese and Shan children took part in an etching workshop

as you can see here.

More photos at www.ilovemaesot.blogspot.com

Our artist friends who are putting on the exhibition

support the children through the etching process.

We are very grateful to them for their hard work and creative input to this project.

www.ilovemaesot.blogspot.com

Sheila Laing's daughter, Louise, has gone to Hle Bee School in Mae Sot for a few months to teach English and Emotional Literacy and to cuddle Burmese babies! You can read about her journey on

http://www.ilovemaesot.blogspot.com/

Today Louise spoke at the opening of OUR BURMA BOOK exhibition in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Shan school children were taught how to etch by an artist at the opening and the Democratic Voice of Burma were videoing the whole event. More to come on this.

Isn't it amazing how this wee Forthview link that started way back in 2005 just keeps growing and growing....

Uniform target for March 2010

Hle Bee School now has 14 students in Grade 6. In March next year, these 14 children will leave Hle Bee School. We hope that they will all attend a Burmese high school/learning centre in Mae Sot starting in June 2010. The education in the learning centres is free but it costs around £20 to kit a child out with a full set of uniform/shoes/bag etc.


We have said to Thazin that we will pay for each child to be kitted out for high school in the hope that it will help those families who are willing to allow their child to attend high school. So the target we need to raise by March 2010 is £280. Shouldn't be hard.....

Ideas welcome....