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The S4SK-PALM combined strategy for sustained education: 

  The common factor of the children we are helping is that their parents are very, very poor.  If not, they would be able to attend state or monastic schools.  In most cases, the children are bread-winners for their families.  We should think of them, not so much as out-of-school children (OOSC), but rather as out-of-school-and-working-children (OOSWC).  They work as scavengers, cress-gatherers, betel-sellers, bean peelers, and as unskilled labourers.  You can see photos of working children here.  It is the fact that they are significant earners for their families that makes them difficult to reach.  You can learn about the approach of our Programme Director, Daw Aye Aye Thinn here.

  These children are out of school not by choice, but because their families cannot afford the loss of income incurred by the children spending 3 to 6 hours in class, each day.  For them, it is often a choice between education and food.  To enrol and retain these children in class we surely need, in some way, to address the economic needs of their families.  PALM has a combined strategy:
●  Non-Formal Education - Classes are active and fun, and do not depend on previous experience of formal schooling.  For more click here;
●  Family Support - A small payment is made to parents each montheach month to compensate for lost earnings while the children are in class;
●  Parent Education - On days when parents meet to collect family support payments, there are discussions on lifestyle issues that impact on children’s welfare;
●  Social Work - Teachers and mentors make home visits to help resolve some of the problems they face;

●  Savings scheme - Many families are in debt to money-lenders at monthly rates of 25-30%.  With support and advice from Women For the World we run a savings scheme to develop a culture of saving, and get families out of debt;

●  Income-generating activities - In parallel with non-formal education, we organise income-generating projects which introduce basic business skills and give them the experience of making and selling.  For more click here;
●  Scholarships for continuing education and vocational training - We help alumni of NFE classes continue their education through scholarships for vocational training or continuing education courses.  Students from rural areas, who have been accepted to study at educational institutions in Rangoon, can live at the H4SS Learning Centre where regular homework classes and motivational counselling help them make the most of their studies;
●  Low interest loans - We provide low interest loans to help former students of our classes set up small businesses;
●  Specialist teacher training and mentoring - We run two teacher training courses each year, after which teachers are mentored regularly in class.  In additiobn, there are monthly meetings to prepare lesson-plans.  For more click here;
●  Advocacy - At national level, when the political situation allows, we advocate for a combined strategy of education and social protection as the only way to effectively provide education to out-of-school-and-working children.