Fifteen-year-old Nang Than Than Htay lives in a modest bamboo home in Myauk Hti Bwar Village with her father and two siblings. Her mother left for Thailand four years ago and gradually cut off contact with the family, leaving her father to raise three children alone. Despite these hardships, Nang’s story is one of determination, growth, and the transformative power of education.
In early 2024, Shanta partnered with the Village Development Committee to offer a free Summer English Course. When Nang’s friends urged her to enroll, she declined, choosing instead to spend the school holiday working as a daily laborer, harvesting chilies and picking tea leaves to help her family buy food and clothing. She earned between 80,000–100,000 MMK ($19–$24 USD) that summer.
When school resumed, the gap was impossible to ignore. Classmates who had attended the course raised their hands confidently during English lessons, constructed correct sentences, and were praised by their teacher. Nang, who had always performed at the same level, could not keep up. She struggled with grammar, avoided reading aloud in class, and received low marks throughout the year.
“Looking back, the money I earned that summer was spent long ago,” she reflects. “But my friends kept benefiting from what they had learned.”
Determined not to repeat the same mistake, Nang enrolled in the 2025 Summer English Course. To pay the 10,000 MMK ($2.40 USD) materials fee, she saved her daily snack allowance until she had enough. Her first assessment revealed the depth of the gap: she scored just 17 out of 50 on the pre-test.
Rather than giving up, she attended every single class. By the final assessment, she had reached 66 out of 100. When school reopened, English felt less daunting, and she was ready for more.
In 2026, Nang enrolled in the Summer English Course for the second time. Each day she balanced her studies with household responsibilities, attending class, returning home to help cook, and reviewing lessons each evening. Her commitment paid off: she scored 92 out of 100 on the post-test and received Second Prize.
The change in her classroom was striking. Her English teacher, who had taught the class since Grade 6, noted that the same lessons that once required three class periods now took only two. Students were constructing sentences correctly, reading with better pronunciation and intonation, and engaging far more actively.
“After learning that many of the students had attended the Summer English Course,” the teacher said, “I expressed my sincere appreciation to the community and the teachers who made it possible.”
Nang’s journey illustrates a truth our team sees again and again: a short-term investment in quality education creates benefits that compound for years. The Summer English Course cost less than $2.40 for Nang to attend, a fee she saved herself. Your generosity helps us keep these courses accessible to every child in the village, regardless of family income.
Today, Nang plans to continue building on her English foundation through Grades 10, 11, and 12. She also hopes to encourage younger students to take the same opportunity she nearly missed.
“Success does not come immediately with every effort,” she tells them. “Instead of becoming discouraged because you missed an opportunity, keep moving forward. One day, you will be proud of yourself.”