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Nang Thein Oat grew up in Pin Laung Township in Southern Shan State. She went to school through 10th grade but struggled to pass her state exams. Her family could not afford to continue her education. She was very discouraged. “As I haven’t passed high school, I thought that I do not have any opportunity [...]
This has been a very volatile time for Shanta Foundation’s partner villages and Myanmar staff. We have learned that the most important thing is to keep showing up. That doesn't mean that we show up physically when there is danger from firefights between the government and resistance soldiers, but that we continue to stay connected [...]
Nang Ohn Kyi has humble roots and big dreams. She comes from a poor village where her family subsists on growing cheroot, wheat, and tea leaves. Nang Ohn Kyi is the first in her family to attend high school. Because of the support of scholarships from Shanta Foundation, she graduated from University in 2018. She [...]
Choosing villages to partner with is a weighty decision made each year by our fantastic staff in Myanmar. Partnering with Shanta requires more than just picking villages that seem to have the most need, as we must also consider the likelihood of success. When our staff visit communities across Magwe and Southern Shan States looking [...]
Thingyan is the most significant annual festival on the Myanmar calendar. Held over several days, it marks the end of the hot, dry season and the start of the New Year: the beginning of the Myanmar lunar calendar and celebrates life and rebirth. Water Festival The Burmese douse one another in water in the belief [...]
Shanta Foundation addresses inequalities in rural Myanmar by empowering villages to assess their own needs and fund their own solutions. Community banks, transparent committees, and training in new income-producing activities provide dignity and a path out of poverty for villages that have been stripped of so much. It has been over a month since the [...]
Click here to read our 2019 Impact Report We are eager to share the results of Shanta's hard work this year, in collaboration with Muditar and all of our village partners and you, because without your support, none of this would be possible. Feel free to contact us for further information on any of our [...]
A message from Laurie Meininger, Shanta's Executive Director, about our response to the coronavirus in Myanmar.
As a brand new Durangoan I was excited to get an invitation to speak with a class at Fort Lewis College back in February. Dr. Andy Young, Assistant Professor for Physics and Engineering and Village Aid Project faculty partner, is teaching the inaugural class of an honors course aimed at bringing multi-disciplinary student and faculty [...]
Click here to read our 2018 Annual Report. A Letter From the Board of Directors A very warm hello to our Shanta supporters! 2018 was an exciting year, filled with many opportunities for growth and learning. It was also a year of honoring our founders, Mike and Tricia Karpfen, and appreciating the amazing organization they [...]
