Get involved
U R Building Knowledge is completely run by volunteers and we are always looking for more people to help out. Being run 100% by volunteers means 100% of the donations go to building schools in Myanmar.
How can you get involved?
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Our annual gala
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Helping at craft fairs on Vancouver Island
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Buy a gift card
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Make a donation
Gala in May in Vancouver
Our annual gala is on May 12, @ Nomad on Main in Vancouver 6 - 10 pm
there are many ways to get involved. We are looking for help in the
following areas:
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Donate items for the silent or live auction
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Sell tickets
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Help promote the event through facebook or word of mouth
If you are interested in being involved please contact us.
questions and answers
A. The first time Gilly went to Myanmar in 2005, she saw many many books that were so thumbed through they were 10 times thicker than their size. It was in 2005 and at that time there was one computer accessible to non-Burmese in the country. Everyone was so hungry for information. The Burmese are egalitarian and highly value education.
Q. How do the school buildings benefit the students?
A. The school buildings benefit the children, the teachers and the community. The children can learn much more quickly when they are in a building that is warm when it is cold outside and cool when it is hot. There is also less distraction from noise. So the teachers find that it is easier to teach and the children learn in one day what would have taken four days previously.
One of the first schools we built was to replace a school with mud floors and bamboo woven walls. This structure was OK in the warm season, but in 5 degrees celcius and monsoon weather was a different story.
Another benefit to the structure is unforeseen from a country such as Canada where there are many community buildings. The school becomes a gathering place – not only for that village, but for many villages around. The children come during the day and adults come to learn, debate, celebrate in the evenings.
Q. How are the scholarship receipiants chosen?
A. John asks the headmasters in the schools to keep an eye open for whom they think is a special student who comes from a very poor family. In the case of one student, the whole village came forward and asked if we could help him further his education as he had always come first in his class and wants to be a teacher when he grows up. His family does not have a bean as is the case with another scholarship recipient.
In order to continue to get a scholarship you must show continual good grades.
Because so very little money goes so far, 100% of monetary donations are applied to the projects. We do not have administrative costs as our organization is run entirely by volunteers in Canada. Our trips to Myanmar are self-funded.
Q. Is this really what people in Myanmar want or is it a first world country deciding that education is a good thing to do?
a reason to celebrate... the new computer lab!
