Taungoo, Kayin State and the Youth Peace Forum

Two of us from Myanmar Egress joined the group of facilitators on a trip trip to the Youth Peace Forum in Taungoo.  Youth from the area and a few who are older learned about democracy and gained electoral knowledge.  They were an enthusiastic group listening to political science lectures and doing exercises to consolidate them.
On our trip back to Yangon we started by going into the Kayin (Karin) Hills and climbed up a mountain to a Christian prayer site and then detoured to stop at a famous stream where everyone waded and splashed fully clothed.  Few on the trip had ever visited these places as they were mostly from Yangon.

The youth panel.  The guy in the middle spent 10 years in prison as a student activist. Now he's out and studying geology

Government report card on the accountability pillar of democracy.  Two groups disscussed the pillars and evaluated the government

Our group in the Kayin (Karin) Hills

The "older" panel.  The President of my organization is on the left.  The director of Andy's organization is on the right.  The head of MPC, the Myanmar Peace Centre has the mike and the Union Minister is in the centre.  I forget who the other is.. Maybe a political science prof.   It was an open mike session.

At the Christian prayer site

Praying

Me with Nancy, my 93 year old Kayin friend who asked us to have lunch with her, privately

The house where part of the family stayed in the Kayin Hills

Just up the lane from the last photo, my friend Nancy seeing us off from her house

The Egress crowd having fun in 

Homebrew from green bamboo mugs

A Kayin family looking after land for a friend