On 17 February 2015, the Royal Thai Embassy and Yangon University of Foreign Languages (YUFL) jointly organized the award presentation ceremony for the “Helping Hands for Our Friends Project” from Thai Department, YUFL to Mitta Parahita Centre for Leprosy.  The ceremony was jointly presided over by Dr. Lwin Lwin Soe, Rector of YUFL, and Madame Thipayasuda Suvanajata, spouse of Thai Ambassador, and witnessed by executives from CP Group, RMA Group - Food Services and Express Food Group as sponsors of the project.

The students from the Thai Department of YUFL, formed in a group of 5-8, proposed their projects to help people affected by leprosy at the Mitta Parahita Centre, Mayan Chaung Village, Hle Gu Township, Yangon Region.  This project is a follow-up activity from the Embassy’s CSR project under which the Embassy donated dried food, items for personal hygiene, water purifiers and etc. to help improve the living condition and the quality of life of the residents at the Centre.  Realized that one-time donation will not be sustainable, this initiative is therefore created with YUFL’s involvement in order to raise awareness of younger generation of Myanmar to engage them in social responsibility activities.

Based on the criteria of feasibility and sustainability, and involvement of the villagers, the students were encouraged to create a practical and sustainable project that will generate income to the Centre and uplift living condition of the Centre community. A committee, comprising of YUFL and Embassy personnel and senior executives of Thai businesses who have extensive experiences in CSR projects were formed to assist the students to create their project.  The winning team will be given a supporting fund so that they can realize their project through their own management.

Dr. Lwin Lwin Soe thanked the Embassy for the opportunity for the students to be engaged in a community development project, through which they learned skills in project development, presentation, management, and team work.  Madame Thipayasuda thanked YUFL for their cooperation and the sponsoring companies for their generous support to help empower these students as the future of Myanmar society.

During the project planning, YUFL teachers and students, as well as Embassy staff, visited the Centre and interviewed the patients to learn their needs.  They also donated some dried food, medicines and personal items to help improve the living conditions of the patients as well as to cheer them up.  The Embassy mobilized fund to support this project from kind-hearted individuals and companies from Thailand who would like to do their share in helping fellow human beings in distress.