Lover of the Least , Vol 5
by Keith Johnson
Serving the Least in Burma with Farming and Education
Dear Friends:
The next two weeks are very critical for our ministry to the Least, especially in Burma. I traveled to Washington D.C. on Wednesday, April 3rd to better understand the processes of teaching English online through an organization called GOE. I had two meetings with the Board of Directors to understand their Vision and Mission and discover how we can collaborate.
Gift of Education
GOE or Gift of Education is a Burmese led nonprofit out of D.C. that offers online English to the Burmese. As you know with your own children, education is the differentiator and one of the ingredients for a productive career and life.
English speaking Burmese get the best jobs in Hotels, Hospitals, Airlines, international companies and local companies. Following food, clean water, shelter and medical; reading, writing and speaking English is a game changer for the poor we work with in Burma.
GOE’s Mission is to offer teachers and students in Myanmar strategies on developing their English language skills so they can successfully teach and learn English in the classroom. The program is offered at no cost to the teachers and students they serve. GOE currently has 67 students throughout Burma including Mandalay, Yangon, Kachin and Ayeyarwady as well as Singapore and Thailand.
I am currently working on a proposal for 55 children at Lighthouse Refugee Camp and 75 children at Hope Children’s Home to participate in the online English classes as well as instructor led classes twice per month.
Sustainability through Farming
Tomorrow, my wife and I will be traveling to Ocala, Florida to meet with a team at ITEC. The objectives of ITEC are simple.
ITEC develops tools and training programs, trains indigenous Christ-followers, and equips others to do the same both domestically and abroad. Our goal is to eliminate the potential for dependency by partnering with, training alongside, and learning from the indigenous churches. We call this interdependency, a concept found in passages throughout the Bible, and clearly in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31.
Our focus with ITEC will be on learning and training our Burmese friends on better methods for farming rice and other crops near our refugee camp.