UPDATE FROM MYANMAR
There are places in the world where reaching a sponsored child is not easy. Myanmar is one of those places. However, in September, Mike Webb and Marcus Archer traveled to Myanmar to see firsthand how Children of Promise continues to serve children amid significant political, security, travel, and communication challenges.
Myanmar has been embroiled in civil war since the Spring of 2021, and political tension has existed there for decades. This most recent civil war was sparked by a military coup in which the military overthrew the democratic government and instituted military dictatorship. The effects of that event have been dramatic and far-reaching, impacting every facet of life for the Myanmar people. Rising prices for everyday items, fuel rationing, travel restrictions, surveillance of communications and internet, forced military recruitment of teenage boys, and violent outbreaks are just a few of the things people in Myanmar are dealing with regularly.
Thankfully, tension in the city of Yangon has cooled offering an opening for a quick visit to the CofP program. The trip was different from a typical sponsorship visit. Many areas remain difficult or even impossible to access. Fighting continues in some regions while other areas remain under close military observation. Yet the program continues to serve children and families despite these difficult circumstances.
During the visit, Mike and Marcus were able to interview 46 kids. Many others could not be reached, but the good news is that despite incredible obstacles, children continue to receive routine care through the program’s Core Four. Local volunteers, even in physically inaccessible communities, remain in communication with the national office, and resources continue to reach those local programs through mobile money.
The realities facing children and families in Myanmar are serious. Families with teenage boys live in fear of their sons being taken to violent training camps and the front lines of the military conflict. Boys 18 and older are especially vulnerable to military conscription, and even younger boys have faced serious safety concerns. Some families have moved their sons from place to place to protect them. Sadly, some families have fled and their whereabouts are unknown.
These circumstances have changed what it means for Children of Promise leaders to “show up.” Program leaders cannot travel to every community. They cannot always sit with every child, collect photographs, or gather letters. There is no postal service, so letters and pictures cannot be mailed to the Children of Promise office. Materials can generally only leave the country when the national program leader travels outside Myanmar. The same is true of funding. Money cannot be sent directly into Myanmar. Instead, the national leader travels approximately every three months to either the Philippines or Thailand to receive funds and carry cash back into the country.
It is a complicated way to operate a program, and it is far from our ideal. But these challenges do not mean the children have been forgotten. Now, more than ever, the kids and the Church of God in Myanmar need our attention, our care, and our partnership. We are going to continue showing up for them.
One of the most encouraging parts of the trip was meeting several sponsorship graduates. Some graduates have established their own very successful businesses. Others are working in a variety of professional industries, some with influential business leaders in Yangon. Perhaps most exciting, many graduates have become pastors throughout the Church of God in Myanmar. In every church we visited, we were introduced to church leaders who were sponsored as children. These graduates are now faithfully contributing to the Church of God in Myanmar and caring for the next generation.
What a meaningful reminder of what sponsorship can accomplish. A child who once needed someone to invest in their future now invests in the future of others. A child who once received help is now helping others. A child who once needed someone to believe in them is now a pastor, business owner, community leader, or mentor.
These are the outcomes a sponsor may never see when making a monthly gift. They often happen years later and far beyond the original sponsorship relationship. Your sponsorship goes further than you know. It seems simple: a child receives an education, food and care, and opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach. But those things matter, and the impact goes much deeper and lasts much longer. Children of Promise is not only helping children navigate the circumstances of today. We are investing in who they can become tomorrow.
One of the hardest realities for sponsors of children in places like Myanmar is we cannot always provide the updates we would like. There may not be a letter this month. There may not be a recent photograph. That can make sponsorship feel different than we expect because we cannot always see everything that is happening. That does not mean the work has stopped. Children are still being cared for and volunteers are still serving. Resources are still reaching local programs, and the church is still being strengthened. Lives are still being changed for good.
The Myanmar trip provided a clearer picture of both the challenges facing the program and the hope that continues to emerge. The challenges are significant, but so is the evidence of what has been accomplished over the years. And you are part of that story.
Every sponsorship matters. Every gift matters. Every person who stands with Children of Promise helps this ministry continue serving children even when serving them requires patience, creativity, and perseverance. We believe in what God can do through a life given hope and opportunity. The children of Myanmar have not been forgotten. Because of your generosity, Children of Promise is still there, and the story is still being written.
Until all are made whole,
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