Hosanna Community Centre

Earlier this year we introduced you to Hosanna Community Centre, a place which started off as a small orphanage, but transitioned into a community centre after the director and orphanage donor’s recognised the damage that institutional care could cause to families and children.

Kinnected Myanmar helps Hosanna Centre with strategic planning, technical and financial support, and monitoring. The project comes under our ‘Care Leavers Support Program.’ The centre itself is run by Pastor Myint Nwe, who works alongside an amazing team of staff and volunteers to help support their community in various ways. To read more about Hosanna Community Centre read here.

Here is an update about what Hosanna Community Centre has been doing during this Covid season

The township where the Centre is situated in was identified early on by the government to be one at high risk of Covid, as many people from the township tested positive for the virus in April. Because of this, the community was placed under additional monitoring and was subject to additional restrictions and a very stringent stay-at-home order. These restrictions were gradually lifted, and the centre turned to thinking about how they could support their community through this difficult time.

The first thing the staff members and students decided to do was to make quality masks. They were then able to distribute these to people in their community who hadn’t been able to access their own face coverings yet. As they did this they reminded people of the importance of hand washing and general hygiene.

This month we were able to help support the re-opening of the Centre’s Metal Shop. At the shop students are given internships to help them learn valuable skills to take into the workplace. This training allows students to get access better jobs. After the Metal Shop re-opened, they donated a hand washing basin and metal stand to the Covid 19 committee, to help promote hygiene practises in Hlaing township. During the Covid season the shop has also started a small breakfast noodle restaurant, to help them stay afloat and active in their neighbourhood.

Hosanna Community Centre is continuing to help those who regularly rely on the centre’s support, as well as their wider community. During these challenging times, when numerous people have lost their jobs or faced salary cuts, support from places like Hosanna Community Centre are even more valuable. Support provided in the right place can make a huge impact during Myanmar’s recovery process.