Thar Yar Shwe Pyi is a very small village, located in the Bago region of Myanmar (Burma), about 150 kilometres north of Yangon (Rangoon).

It is too small to have the village name shown on Google Earth/Google Maps but if you find the small town of Zigon, then the village is a few miles outside the town. Try following the railway line north from Yangon, through Tharrawaddy, through Letpadan, through Gyobingauk and then Zigon is just north of Gyobingauk.

When Tania's grandmother, Olive, died in 2004, her daughter Geraldine (Tania's mother) donated some money to the Catholic church in the village, in memory of her mother, and the Catholic Priests then used the money to help the most needy villagers. Tania's mother has continued to support the village in this way on each anniversary of Olive's passing.

As you may know, myself and Tania got married recently and we feel very fortunate to have each other, to have great family and friends and to have everything we need. Therefore, rather than take wedding gifts, we are asking if you will celebrate our happy event with us by making a donation to the village to help some people who are very worthy of your kind support.

All money raised will be sent to Geraldine in Yangon who will then travel to the village and give it to the Priests. The Priest will then further disburse the funds to the most needy persons.

The funds will typically be used to buy medicine, food and clothing - especially for the young orphans and other poor children and also the very elderly. There is not a lot of employment in the area and so many people live a subsistence existence. Houses for the poor people in these small villages usually consist of huts made of tree trunks and tree branches, using inter-twined banana plant leaves to make the walls and roof panels.

Travel to the village is arduous. A slow train from Yangon to Zigon, then a motor-trike to Kun Thi Tabin, then an ox-cart to the village itself. No aircon and often 40 deg C!!