A New Home

Posted by P on 24 April 2012

Orphan's Tear now assists a new children's home in Burma. The following is their story, which has been updated since it was originally posted, as new information has become available.

Abandoned Orphanage Home, in Eastern Shan State, Burma, was founded in 2004 by Pastor Lian who was travelling in the area. After seeing so many beautiful children abandoned and orphaned he decided to do something to help them by faith alone. The situation was grim; many people travel here to search for rubies, and as fortunes are made, this area has seen the growth of prostitution, drug addiction (Shan State being a major producer of opium and heroin) and constant fighting between the Burma Army and other armed groups who seek to take control of the wealth. In June 2005, Pastor Lian died of cancer, followed in December by his wife who had contracted malaria. The children were in effect orphaned for a second time, so Pastor Lian's parents took over their care until their other son and daughter-in-law stepped in. Their parents travelled around begging money for the children's care, and first met representatives from Orphan's Tear in January 2009 where an appeal was made for support.

There are differing accounts of a fire that had swept through the town of Upper Maishu in 1999. Most of the shanty-style houses were destroyed, and it seems that it was caused by a drug addict setting fire to gasoline whilst taking drugs. Two siblings currently resident were burned quite badly as you can see in the photos below, those that were looking after them perished in the inferno. Their father had already died in a landslide in one of the ruby mines and their mother was a prostitute.

Initially sixteen children, mainly of Chinese and Shan tribes, including three who were orphaned and themselves maimed in the fire, were taken into a small shelter in Upper Maishu that was unexpectedly donated by a rich Chinese man. Some of the children's stories are quite awful. Prostitution, drug addiction, underground criminal activity is rife here, and those things are the primary reasons for the children being orphaned or abandoned. Some children had been sold, and two of the children’s mothers had herself been sold into slavery to China. Currently there are fourteen children in the home plus two children belonging to the director and his wife. We are looking for better accomodation in Lower Maishu, which is much safer than Upper Maishu.