This is all thanks to our Annual Cultural Pageant 2026 contestants!

In **rural Myanmar,** many children don’t have access to early education. Montessori preschools change that by giving kids a safe, nurturing space to learn through play, exploration, and discovery — building confidence and curiosity from the start. **Asian Student Association (ASA) at University of Central Florida (UCF)** is partnering with **Children of the Mekong** to help support these schools, where every donation directly provides resources, teachers, and opportunities for children who need it most.

Click the link below to learn more about this initiative: [Support the Montessori Preschools in Myanmar - Children of the Mekong](https://www.childrenofthemekong.org/projects/support-the-montessori-preschools-in-myanmar/)

Help Support Underserved Preschools in Myanmar

Myanmar has been plunged into deep crisis since the 2021 military coup, leaving millions displaced, schools disrupted, and young people at risk of exploitation or forced recruitment. In regions like Kyaik Kha Mee, where education was already scarce, families now face extreme poverty and instability. Many children refuse to attend state schools to avoid legitimising the regime, and nearly half of all teachers have resigned, leaving an entire generation without safe access to learning.

In response, Sister Rita has created an informal education centre that has rapidly become a lifeline for local youth. What began as a small summer camp now welcomes up to 400 children each year, alongside 25 vulnerable young people who live at the centre full‑time after fleeing conflict zones. Demand is overwhelming, yet the existing buildings are far too small. Construction of a new, simple, functional two‑storey building has begun, but rising inflation forced Sister Rita to start without the full funds needed to complete it.

**Southeast Asian Student Association at the University of North Carolina i**s partnering with **Children of the Mekong** to help support this initiative, where every donation directly supports the construction of the informal education centre. 

This project will provide safe accommodation for displaced youth, classrooms for 60–70 students during the school year, and space for 300 children during summer camps. It will offer stability, protection, and hope to young people who would otherwise face child labour, early marriage, or recruitment by armed groups. With half the funding still missing and local donors unable to contribute further, your support is essential to finish the classrooms and give these children the chance to learn, grow, and rebuild their futures.

A Lifeline for Displaced Youth in Myanmar

Since 1958, Children of the Mekong supports children’s education in Southeast Asia. 

In Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar, we help children grow through [child sponsorship](https://www.childrenofthemekong.org/sponsor-a-child/) and [education projects](https://www.childrenofthemekong.org/get-involved/support-a-project/).

Our priorities of action are early childhood, girls' education, slums, rural populations, refugees, children with disability, and ethnic minorities.

Myriad USA facilitates thoughtful, effective giving across borders.

Myriad USA provides donors with a simple and efficient platform to support nonprofit initiatives overseas, anywhere across the globe. Myriad USA brings together the expertise and networks of the King Baudouin Foundation United States (KBFUS) and Give2Asia, and builds on their shared history, their shared belief that local knowledge counts, and their shared objective of improving the lives of people around the world. 

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The project to support Montessori preschools in Myanmar began in 2020 and supports 770 preschool children in five locations.

The preschools are run by the Good Shepherds sisters who have several objectives for the preschool children:
- Provide child care to enable parents to work,
- Prepare children for primary school by giving them the basics of life in a community and the school curriculum,
- Guarantee the children complete and balanced meals every day.

The Sisters use the Montessori method and offer all these young children an excellent framework for early learning and preparation for primary school. 

THANK YOU for your help and support!

Support the Montessori preschools in Myanmar

Friday 28 March, a major earthquake struck Myanmar. The epicentre is located in a region where Children of the Mekong works with local communities for many years (Mandalay / Sagaing).
Communication with our local teams is very difficult, but we know the consequences will be severe.

 **Act now, so that we are ready to help.**

In a country marked by political instability and poverty, a natural disaster can wipe out everything.

Support Children of the Mekong's emergency fund so we can:

- Provide **immediate assistance** as soon as needs are identified
- **Support** the families and children affected
- Participate in **reconstruction** if necessary

MYANMAR-THAILAND: SUPPORT THE EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS

Children of the Mekong

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Support the Montessori preschools in Myanmar

Help Support Underserved Preschools in Myanmar

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