In 2008, Jasperite Sandra Hodge found herself stuck at the border of Myanmar, hoping to get in to help out with disaster relief following Cyclone Nargis, which killed 138,000 people. 

For political reasons, aid was refused by Burma’s military regime, but Hodge still wanted to help. She teamed up with Gilly Thomas, another Jasper resident involved with disaster relief. The two had provided aid during the 2002 tsunami in Thailand together, and Thomas had since become involved with Myanmar. 

“I knew she had a lot to do with the country,” Hodge said. 

Thomas helped Hodge get crucial contacts and information from inside Myanmar, and the two decided they wanted to help the Burmese people somehow. 

“We just decided, ‘You know what? We want to do more,’” Hodge said. “The people are very beautiful and kind.”

And that’s exactly what they did. The two started Building Knowledge, a non-profit charity to help fund-raise for schools in Myanmar. They found two silent partners within Myanmar that would co-ordinate efforts once money was raised, and decide where the schools should go. One of those partners, a local Burmese man, had been trying to build schools in the country for 10 years. 

Building Knowledge has established two schools, and is preparing for a third. The schools are all built in farming communities, allowing students to go to school, but still be close to home to help out around their family farms. 

“This way the kids get to keep going to school, but can be home too,” Hodge said. 

Curriculum and a teacher is provided by the Myanmar government, and all construction is done by the parents of the students. Because the buildings are constructed using locally made materials, maintenance is easy and kept up by the town’s people. The schools cost just $10,000 to build.

Building Knowledge provides the infrastructure, furniture and uniforms for the students to wear to school. Hodge said they hope to someday establish a post-secondary scholarship program.

Before Building Knowledge established the schools, the students were either learning underneath a tree, or in a dirt-floored hut with bamboo walls that flooded with mud during the rainy season. 

The Myanmar government has not stood in the way of Building Knowledge’s efforts in the country. 

“There’s never been any problem in any places,” Hodge said. “We don’t ruffle any feathers really.”

Fund-raising has been done a variety of different ways. Right now Hodge and Thomas are selling 2011 calendars with photos from their trip to Myanmar in March to pay for the upcoming third school. During that trip, the two women purchased locally-made jewellery at a fair local price, and sold them at craft fairs at a Canadian price. Other fund-raising initiatives include a play called A Pricecheck for Murder being put on in February featuring local actors, that will include a silent auction. Half of the profits of that play will go towards Building Knowledge. 

Because the project is self-sustaining, Hodge and Thomas do not have to travel to Myanmar very often. Any travel the pair do is completely self-funded – all money raised goes towards the schools. 

More information on Building Knowledge, and locations where the calendars are sold, can be found on the charity’s website at www.urbuildingknowledge.com