Send Hnin Ei to University in Penang to Study 

  Hnin Ei left Myanmar after the coup in 2021 and has been living as an exile in Thailand.

Now she's been accepted to University.  Donate to her school fees and change her life.

• Who's Hnin Ei ?

I met Hnin when she was just 17 years old while working on a service project with Food Not Bombs & Books Not Bombs, in Yangon.   We became close when she was hired to manage Nourish Cafe where she was indispensable for the success of the cafe, not only for her English and accounting skills, but for her kind welcoming smile, customer care and translation skills.  We became fast friends riding the local train together each day from Hledan Township to downtown Yangon. 

Eventually I learned that she had been the top student in her high school every year except one and that she was fluent not only in Myanmar and English, but also Korean, which she learned from watching Korean soap operas. In short order, Hnin is highly intelligent and kind.

• Hnin the Yogini:

One of the benefits of working at Nourish Cafe was free yoga classes at the Yangon Yoga House. Hnin developed a strong practice and soon, she and I were offering free yoga to the Myanmar activists which I would teach and she would translate.  She was invited to participate in a Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher Training in exchange for translating, and found her groove in helping others through yoga.  

At the beginning of 2020, a few of the yoga teachers at YYH raised funds to send Hnin to a full Yoga Teacher Training in Bali. She was over the moon when we met the mark and bought her tickets for April of that year.  When the pandemic hit, she didn't get the opportunity to go to Bali.

Hnin the activist:

Hnin is the kind of activist who never stops working for justice.  When I was living in Yangon between 2014 -2020, Hnin was a student activist at university, an educator in the community space for ethnic and women's rights, a distributor of educational materials and books for Books Not Bombs, and cooking for Food Not Bombs out of her kitchen with a community of other punks and activists every Friday night. 

In February 21, 2021,  the Tatmadaw (the Burmese military) overthrew the democratically elected government of Myanmar.  Doctors, students, influencers, and average folks were preemptively arrested.  There were many amazingly creative, peaceful protests in the early days after the coup and later, many disturbing actions upon citizens by the junta. Many activists went on the run, living in different safe houses or escaping into Thailand.

Shortly after the coup in Myanmar, the band Hnin was singing in put out this video.  The song had been written five months earlier, in reference to the inner revolution one must embark on to grow, fight discrimination and work together, but after the coup the message was potent and timely.  Watch an English subtitles version here.

• Living in Exile

When Hnin made it out of Myanmar and in to Thailand in May 2021 (thanks to the generosity of a few donors like yourself), she finished her online yoga teacher training in a hotel while in quarantine in Bangkok.  She was occasionally able to get hired by an NGO to teach yoga and mindfulness to refugees and other exiles which covered her expenses.  She stayed on a student visa, learning Thai language, becoming fluent in a fourth language.  

However, living as an exile takes a toll.  Although she has a strong community of other Myanmar exiles in Chiang Mai, living far from home has had a big impact on the mental health and wellness of the community and opportunities for the future need to be created.  You can click here to watch a video of what her day to day life was like after leaving Myanmar.

• Small donations make a BIG impact

This campaign is not just about the amount of money we raise for Hnin, but also that she sees how many people are cheering her on, believe in her, and want to see her succeed.  If you know Hnin or are inspired by this story, please share !!!!

The opportunity to stay abroad without an occupation is difficult.  After working with counselors and therapists in the NGO workshops to help other refugees, Hnin would like to study Psychology and wishes to go on to help others in the area of mental health. Hnin will be staying in Penang where she will have free room and board and be able to dedicate herself to her studies and own growth. 

Your donations to this cause will pay for the tuition and expenses of school for one year.  Any donations over the set amount will go towards the second (or third year) tuition. Donating can be made in someone else's name and make a beautiful gift for those who have everything they need. 

Your donation will send this young woman to new heights. 

As a yogini, activist, and counselor, with four languages, Hnin will touch the lives of many others in her future work.

If you know Hnin or are inspired by this story, please share !!!!

Wish you all the best. In kindness, Regina Marie (support and writer behind this campaign).

Please note: Contributions are in Malaysian Ringgit.  (4.5 RM = 1USD / 5RM = 1EURO / 6RM = 1 GBP)