Ethnic minorities

Barriers of language, ethnicity, poverty and remoteness are all too familiar for children of minority people groups in rural China.  As they typically start school without knowing a word of Chinese, they are denied access from mainstream education and are confronted by a national curriculum which does not cater for their cultural diversity.

Literacy in Bloom will address the lack of access to learning resources for unschooled adults, illiterate women and bilingual children in the developing world through Bloom – a free interactive software.  The ability to read, write and understand numerical concepts has an enormous impact on a person’s life, as it is integral to social, political and economic empowerment.

Years of conflict have worn away Myanmar’s educational foundation.  Within schools, teacher turnover is high, lessons are ill-prepared and academic standards are low.  Many displaced children lack the skills and aptitudes that will help them find a job, particularly where schooling has been disrupted or discontinued.

Ethnic tension is rampant in Burma.  Skewed spending on defence has stagnated economic growth and development indicators are ubiquitously dubious.  The government refuses basic services to some minorities and the military targets them in ruthless bouts of conflict.  An epidemic of statelessness has emerged whereby many Burmese are internally displaced or have taken refuge in neighbouring countries.

A deep-seated caste system has caused the Dalits to not only live a life of limited opportunity, but also perceive their lowly status as permanent and prevailing as it is considered deserved for past ills. Typically, they must endure chronic underemployment with no job security and little opportunity to save for times of illness or their children’s education.