Einsein village can hardly be called a village. It is a large depressed slum area on the outskirts of the city of Yangon in Myanmar (formerly Burma). People live in abject poverty in hundreds of shanties, with neither water nor electricity. These shanties run along a muddy path that leads to the back wall of an ancient Buddhist monastery.
In 1964 when the military junta took over Myanmar, embassies, industries and factories were closed, jobs were lost, and families moved to villages like Einsein and set up temporary shelters made of four bamboo rods and a sack covering. These shacks soon became their homes. While men live in hope of casual construction work, the women shift through garbage, collect discarded plastics or sell food in the market place to provide for their children.
The nearest government school to Einsein is a 50-minute walk from the village, and pupils have to provide their own uniform, text books, and pay a small annual fee. The children of Einsein could not afford this meager expense so they have never gone to school.
Mary Man’s Commitment to Einsein
In 2003, Mary Man was in her senior year in college in Yangon when she saw a woman rummaging through a garbage bin. After an initial conversation she accompanied her on the bus to Einsein where she saw the devastating poverty of the area. When she graduated from college, she committed herself to providing education for these poverty-stricken children. With a generous donation from Combined Services Third World Fund, Dublin, a more durable building of native materials was constructed. A brick foundation was added and the gravel floor was cemented. A picture of the Buddha in the classroom assured the local leaders that we Christians were not building a church.
The nearest government school to Einsein is a 50-minute walk from the village, and pupils have to provide their own uniform, text books, and pay a small annual fee.
Einsein Educational Centre 2003
When Mary Man became director of the program she discovered that most of the children survived on only one meal a day. They needed nourishing food as well as education. With a generous donation from the Oblate Fathers we began our Einsein Educational Center. Our goal was a nourishing snack for every child before class and a substantial meal at 3:00 p.m. before they went home. A library with benches, books, and colorful charts was added as well as a much-needed outdoor kitchen. Soon the numbers increased, and over 300 children between the ages of 3-9 years came every day for class and for food.
A Bowl for Every Gran
Zaw, a six-year-old child held on to his bowl but refused to eat. His grandmother had eaten nothing that The nearest government school to Einsein is a 50-minute walk from the village, and pupils have to provide their own uniform, text books, and pay a small annual fee.
day and he wanted to share his dinner with her. To his delight, Mary Man gave him another bowl for his grandmother. By the end of the week every gran in Einsein received a nourishing meal. That meant more chickens, more eggs, more rice, and charcoal for the fire so we went back with our begging bowls to our benefactors who supported us generously for the next number of years. As the school progressed, children’s health improved with nourishment, and they spent most of the day in the library with its colorful charts and books or outside playing ball by the side of the school.
As the number of children in the school increased so did the needs of the youth who had graduated. When Indra, a sixteen-year-old girl needed work Mary Man bought her a sewing machine and found a seamstress to teach her to sew. Indra in turn, taught other teenagers so another machine was bought for them.
It was noted that Tera, a 15-year-old girl was missing from class. After many inquiries and home visitation Mary Man learned that Tera had been promised well-paid employment. Mary Man became suspicious and followed the trail of her story until Tera was found in a safe house being groomed for prostitution with other girls. Mary Man secretly rescued Tera and one other girl, but a young officer at the door would not allow them to leave. Mary talked to him briefly and when she placed a 100 kyats ($15.00) under his collar, he released the latch.
The 2021 Military Coup in Myanmar
In the 2021 military coup, leader Ang San Suu Kyi was sentenced to 33 years in jail. The military carried out a brutal, nationwide crackdown on the millions of people opposed to its rule. The junta security forces have carried out mass killings, arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence and other abuses that amount to crimes against humanity. When the military took control, the youth took to the streets, many were killed or ended up in prison. Unfortunately, the situation today continues to worsen, and many have left for Thailand or India. The destruction of churches and schools where people hide or seek shelter from the military continues today.
The Sad Demise of Einsein School
The fear and cruelty of the military was severely felt in Einsein. A few months ago, while Mary Man was preparing for class a number of strong men came in, took her wallet and phone and ransacked the school, taking with them many of the school’s belongings including the kitchen pots and pans. The writing was on the wall. Under the present military regime, classes and meals had to be cancelled; it was too dangerous to come to school or use its building. The first-ever Einsein primary school had to close. Mary can take comfort in the fact that two generations of children in Einsein can read and write and find employment. Hopefully they in turn will encourage their children to study. was with great sadness that the parents received the news. How were they now going to educate or feed their children?
Mary can take comfort in the fact that two generations of children in Einsein can read and write and find employment. Hopefully they in turn will encourage their children to study.
There was nothing left now for Mary but to pack her few belongings. It was with a heavy heart that she walked down the muddy path along the local shanties to get a rickshaw to bring her into Yangon city. Her 20-year-old educational program had come to an abrupt end.
However, Mary can take comfort in the fact that two generations of children in Einsein can read and write and find employment. Hopefully they in turn will encourage their children to study.
The commitment of one dedicated teacher supported the education and health programs for children in the remote village of Einsein, on the outskirts of the city of Yangon in Myanmar for 20 years.
Sr. Kathleen Coyle and the Columban Sisters continue to work with Mary Man as she discerns her future.