Dear Friends,
This week we received exciting news from our most recent training program in Myanmar. Some of our leaders (from the US and from Myanmar) spent the first part of the week training new regional trainers we hoped would be able to spread the program to new areas around the country. And it’s working!
Empowering Community Savings
Here is a message from Liz Ha, our Director of Strategic Partnerships:
Today’s workshop was filled with much joy and much learning! It was a true delight to see how the attendees enjoyed the training. The session began with a rousing time of praise, and all throughout the day there was laughter, clapping, and participation. We also found a few of our trainers even adding their own business stories to the material, making it more applicable to their community.
Creative Business Opportunities
We visited two sisters, Mary & Angela, who are in a savings group, and they started a daycare business that cares for 20 children under three years old. As you can see in the picture, we visited during nap time! Their clients are predominantly Buddhist, with a few Christians and Muslims. Mary shared that they encourage other women, in particular, to start businesses of their own. They also see their work providing care for kids as helping those in their community, and they like being able to both make a living and minister in this way.
“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” (Matthew 25:23)
Highlights and Reflections from the Week
Elizabeth, one of our trainers that came to the Yangon workshop, presented the record keeping portion. She did a particularly phenomenal job teaching a very new concept to many of the workshop attendees! Elizabeth also gave heartfelt encouragement to join a savings and loan group for the fellowship and support these groups provide.
All our trainers did an excellent job presenting materials they’ve learned, and we are very hopeful that many new savings groups will take off to bless their community.
We met with one attendee who has former development work experience and ties with a remote region. He seems like he could be a strong leader and an excellent contact to help get savings groups going in an area where we have little to no representation.
Pray for our trainers and the church in Mandalay to have courage, to be salt and light to their community and that the savings groups would be a vehicle of God’s hope.
Thank you for partnering with Five Talents.