Donors are needed in orphana-ges in Yangon Region during the stay-at-home period, according to Administrators.
Although the orphanages managed to operate properly thanks to dona-tions in the past, the number of donors to the orphanages has dropped due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the stay-at-home restrictions and the orphanages have encountered difficulties to feed and take care of orphans sufficiently. Relevant authorities are required to provide assistance to orphanages, each of which takes care of about 300 orphans. Although expenditures of orphanages have lowered due to closure of schools, it costs about Ks-3,000 to feed an orphan a day.
“We have about 400 orphans in our orphanage. We need donors for their daily expenditure for food. We also have to take care of them so that they are not infected with COVID-19 during the transmission of the disease. We seek help from donors familiar with us as the expenditure for food is rising. Only a few donors come to us as they cannot go out. We are feeding orphans vegetables grown in the orphanage. Sometimes, they have to eat meals without curry. Rice is important for the children. We are struggling without owners. We need assistance from the government,” said an official from the Chit Chin Myitta Orphanage.
Homes for the orphans in Yangon are struggling for their survival in the long term as the number of donors to them has dropped. As most of the orphanages are privately operated ones, they do not receive assistance from the government and organizations and have to rely on donors. Plans are underway to seek help from relevant authorities for financial difficulties and food shortages.