Background
Ba Hoe Middle School is located in Ba Hoe Village, about 170km from Kayah State capital Loikaw, Myanmar. Ba Hoe is a very remote village. It takes approximately 1.5 hours by motorbike to reach the nearest small town, Mawchi. In the rainy season, when taking a motorbike is not always an option, it takes 4 to 5 hours on a jungle trail hike to reach the town of Mawchi. Ba Hoe Village has approximately 400 residents and 45 households. The vast majority of the population is dependent on plantation work and subsistence agriculture for their living. The area is severely challenged by a lack of alternative livelihoods.
Ba Hoe Middle School had one temporary school building made out of bamboo, logs, wood, and other indigenous materials. The structure was deemed unsuitable, and classrooms were not partitioned properly but divided only by half bamboo walls—creating a chaotic environment during class hours. The building also offered poor protection during extreme weather conditions. The 106 students lacked a safe and suitable environment to focus on their learning.
To address the problem one new school building with four fully furnished classrooms along with two toilets were built. On 15 March 2020, the construction of the new school building began!