Wai Lin Tun with his mother in Bagan Vanhxay in Luang Prabang Nalapan and her classmates in Bangkok © HV-Foundation  We are aware that our activities in these large and underdeveloped countries are not much more than the proverbial drop of water on a hot stone. Yet we are also convinced that once in a while one of our seedlings will grow roots and bear fruit in the next generation. Above all, our work is gratifying, and the protection, the eagerness and the joyfulness of the young ones are more of a reward than any income from the invested capital could be. Individual Support The Foundation grew out of the sporadic help of the founder for children and teenagers. Now that this takes place on a larger scale, the individual support has become less important. The pictures below show those three promising youngsters for whom we have payed the highschool or university fees until they were graduated. As of 2023 Wai Lin Tun is a student in Mandaly university, Vanhxay is a practicing physician in a military hospital in northern Laos, and Nalapan is a teacher in an infant’s daycare center in Bangkok. The limited funds of the foundation are primarily used for the support of two big projects: The Preschool in Mandalay The first large scale activity of the foundation was the building and operation of a preschool for 60 children in the area of Mandalay in Myanmar, which was to be operated by the local YMCA. We started with great enthusiasm in 2012, and the building in Patheingyi was ready for operation in mid-2013. But that was not to be. By then the aggression against non-Buddhist minorities in Myanmar had become so violent in Mandalay that the local congregation of Buddhist monks vetoed the opening of the school, and that veto has not been lifted until today. It took a great effort of the YMCA Mandalay to raise the funds for the building of a second school near the village of Paleik south of Mandalay within the boundaries of a Baptist church compound. This school was opened in August 2015, and it was in full operation in 2016 with 4 teachers as a day care center. The new school Cutting of the ribbon Blessing by the bishop The school in operation The sponsors and operators Posing for the sponsor One Time Funding Due to the late start of our preschool in Mandalay the funds of the Foundation were available for other projects in the beginning years. We used them mainly for cooperations with Gerhard Baumgard’s Foundation (https://PeopleInNeed.de) whose aims are similar to ours. We supported: a) the Catholic diocese of Pathein in South West Myanmar which runs centers for children who have no home in their society (orphans. HIV victims...), b) the building of a new preschool in the village of Kayinthonesint in the Irrawaddy delta in Myanmar, c) the building of a daycare center for children of HIV-infected parents in Mandalay. In all three cases the support was highly welcome, but limited to a single donation. The staff of the nursery in Pathein The preschool in Kayinthonesint The start of this project was slow, but then the success was overwhelming. The local Buddhist community, initially hesitant, changed its attitude due to the excitement of their children, and by 2018 we had 100 of them in a building which was planned for 60. After some consideration the sponsor decided to provide the funds for an extension of the building. This was finished and solemnly opened in mid-2019. The new building The new uniforms Arrival of the children It didn’t take long, and the new buiding was full again. By the end of 2019 we had 140 pupils. They fill the place with joy and noise. We need 8 teachers now to take care of them, and the sponsor is proud to say that he has such able and warm-hearted ladies to run the school. The 2019 Christmas celebration gave the children and the teachers a chance to demonstrate their zeal and their talents in a magnificent stage performance. The sponsor, who turned 80 in 2020 and who has no children of his own, takes great pleasure in being among his “children” in Mandalay twice a year. painting by Myo Zin Christmas in Mandalay Teacher Michael and his pupils The SMILE project in Luang Prabang Michael Sebastian, the founder of the SMILE project (www.smileproject.us), has invested all his money and all his time into his dayschool in Luang Prabang (Laos) for teenaged boys and girls from the surrounding villages who cannot be supported by their parents. His enthusiasm and his energy have produced remarkable successes. Several of his pupils have won scholarships for studying abroad, and others have become active in the running of his school. It was also a group of his students who produced the video which describes their life and background, as to be seen on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX_9Ob1C8S8&feature=youtu.be. The SMILE project did not have its own premises, and in 2018 they became aware that they would lose their temporary residence. We had been supplementing their running costs since 2017, and in 2018 we decided to finance the purchase of a plot for their own school building. A place near the airport was chosen. It was cleared of its wild vegetation, and in early 2020 it was ready for the construction work, which was interrupted due to the Corona crisis and lack of funds. Tragically, in 2021 Michael Sebastian became involved in a criminal case in the US which locked him there. The SMILE project ran out of funds and collapsed. In an attempt to save its goals the aquired land was handed over to the GODO project (www.giversofdreams.org) which now plans to build a school there. Where is Germany? clearing the land ready! construction begins Other Activities The Children School in Colombo The eyes of the Sri Lankan children are even more penetrating than those of the children in Laos or Myanmar. Thus they had to attract the attention of the founder sooner or later. That happened in early 2020 during a touristic visit. An accidental encounter led to a friendship with Rev Indarathana Thero, a Buddhist monk and organisational representative of the Sri Darmadutha Monastery in Colombo. The monastery was running a rudimentary preschool for children from impoveraged families. The foundation started supplementing the expenses of the school. After a serious evaluation it was decided to provide the funds for a new school building. this was constructed in late 2022. The new school building One of the new classrooms The school was opened with a grandiose celebration on Feb.1, 2023. It has room for about 50 children with four teachers with options for expansion. Cutting of the ribbon The religious ceremony Unveiling of the plaque The political situation in Sri Lanka is as unstable as it is in Myanmar. Despite this, and actually because of this, it is ever more rewarding to give the small children a chance to open their minds, start thinking and maybe even create the desire to make their world better. The founder embraces them with this hope.