In Mon State, Myanmar, a community preschool has transformed from a small educational initiative into a model of resilience and innovation. By combining early childhood education with a social enterprise, villagers have created a self-sustaining institution that is now reshaping opportunities for children and their families.
Education built on community needs
The preschool was founded by a village group to address the absence of formal early childhood education. Initially serving around 60 children with three teachers, it met an urgent need in the community. With support from the Southeast Asia Foundation, the school adopted a new model that tied learning directly to local enterprise.
Social enterprise ensures stability
The breakthrough came when the school purchased a tractor. Instead of being stored away, it was put to work providing services such as ploughing fields and grading roads at market rates. The income generated created a steady funding stream that reduced dependence on outside aid. This ingenuity allowed the preschool not only to sustain itself but to grow.
Expanding access and impact
The results were immediate and measurable. Attendance rose from 60 to more than 80 children, while the number of teachers increased from three to five, creating new jobs in the community. Encouraged by the quality of teaching compared with state schools, local families began calling for the programme to expand into Grades 1 and 2. The preschool has become more than an educational site; it is now a focal point for community empowerment.
A model of resilience and self-reliance
The story reflects the power of local ingenuity and reinvestment. By aligning community assets with educational needs, the preschool has demonstrated how self-reliance can improve access to learning in underserved regions. It shows how education, when sustained by local enterprise, can become both resilient and transformative.
Other stories of hope in Asia
Similar initiatives are emerging across Asia. In Sri Lanka and Myanmar, free cataract surgeries under the “Brightness Action” campaign have restored sight to hundreds of patients. In Thailand, scholarship recipient Saharath Kuakul has returned to his rural home determined to uplift disadvantaged youth with training and guidance. In India’s northeast, conservationist Raktima Basumatary is preserving the rare Khasi Holly tree by combining science with cultural traditions. Together, these efforts highlight a broader trend: communities across the region are finding sustainable, inclusive ways to secure their futures.
REFH – Newshub, 2 September 2025
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