New Pathway Home

In the villages, where everyone lives in poverty, there never seems to be enough food. In these situations, the elderly will go without eating so that the younger members of the family can get the nourishment they need to go out and work to bring home food. This lack of nutrition quickly leads to them becoming sick, or worse. Elderly widows are especially vulnerable.

In partnership with:

The story of the New Pathway Home for Widows

When Dr. Nehkholal (Palal) was living in the USA and studying for his doctorate, he made several visits to different campuses of Christian Homes, Inc. (Now known as Christian Horizons, this company is one of the nation’s largest, faith-based, not-for-profit senior living providers.) During these visits he was amazed at the level of care that Americans give to senior adults. He had never seen this in his home country, and he never imagined that it existed anywhere. The contrast between what he saw and what he knew of the condition of many elderly men and women in the villages could not have been greater.

In the villages, where everyone lives in poverty, there never seems to be enough food. In these situations, the elderly will go without eating so that the younger members of the family can get the nourishment needed to go out and work to bring home food. This lack of nutrition quickly leads to them becoming sick, and it usually leads to an untimely death.

Because of the ancient tribal culture of the Kuki/Chin people, elderly widows, especially, are vulnerable. When young women marry, they must leave their own villages and go to live with their husband’s family in his village. When they become widows, there is no extended family nearby to care for them. Many times their children have long since moved away, because of marriage, or seeking jobs in Yangon, Mandalay, or even further away.

If the women are young they can sometimes remarry, but that is not always the case. If they do remarry, any young children they have are required to stay in the deceased father’s village and with his extended family. Most young mothers do not want to leave their children behind, so they remain unmarried.

A Vision is Born

In October 2016, Dr. Timothy Phillippe, the CEO of Christian Homes, and his wife, MaryFern, visited northwest Myanmar with Palal. What they saw in the villages, and especially what they saw regarding the living conditions of the elderly, greatly impacted their lives and deeply touched their hearts. They determined to work with Palal and Myanmar Hope to begin addressing the situation in a wholistic manner. Out of these conversations was born the vision for a home for elderly widows where their needs could be met and they could live in safety and security.

When Tim and MaryFern returned to the U.S., they immediately began sharing with the Board of Directors the needs which they experienced in rural northwest Myanmar. As the board members discussed the situation, they quickly came to the conclusion that Christian Horizons could and would help their elderly sisters in Myanmar in a very tangible way.

Christian Horizons committed the funds to build a new home for widows in Tamu District, a central location where six widows from villages all around could come and live out their lives in comfort, safety, and security. They also committed to providing the monthly funds necessary to operate the home for the first twelve months.

Ground was broken and construction began in June, 2017, and was completed in November. The dedication ceremony was held on December 3rd, 2017, and was attended by many people from the area, including government officials and religious leaders from different denominations and religions. The New Pathway Home was the first of its kind in that part of the country, and many people were amazed at the project.

The Desperation of a Widow

As soon as the word got out that the New Pathway Home was under construction, many widows requested to live there, and several showed up at the property even before the building was finished. Of course, we could not turn them away.

One such story was especially moving. One night Palal received a phone call from one of the local pastors near Tamu. He said that an old widow had left her village, which was quite a few miles from him, and walked to Tamu. She began asking whoever she could where the new widow’s home was located. Someone finally directed her to the pastor’s home.

“Please, let me live at the widow’s home,” she begged.

“But the widow’s home is full, there is no more room,” he said apologetically.

“Please, I will sleep outside on the ground, or on the veranda. I won’t take up any room. I just need food to eat,” she said. “Please, let me stay there.”

The pastor called Palal and asked what to do. Palal discussed the situation with Chuck and MaryAnn Cherry, who were in Yangon at the time.

“Of course, we cannot turn her away!” said MaryAnn.

“Is there any way to make more room?” asked Chuck.

“There is a storage closet that is big enough for a small bed. We can ask the staff to move the items out of the closet and put them in the old hut for now,” said Palal.

He informed the pastor, who immediately arranged for some transportation to the New Pathway Home. Palal called the staff and informed them, and the arrangements were made. The widow was ecstatic that she was able to live at the New Pathway Home, and she knew that she would never have to be hungry again.

Eventually space was found for twelve elderly widows, six more than our original plan. It worked out well, though, because the women did not like sleeping in a room all by themselves anyway. When there were still just six at the home, the women would bring their mattresses out into the main room where they could sleep together and not feel lonely.

Now, with twelve widows, there are two in each room, and they are not lonely at night.

In addition to providing the women with clothing, food, and shelter, we also provide them with any needed medical care. A Christian doctor at the local clinic gives them regular check-ups, and several times we have had to take one or more of the women to the hospital for treatment. It is interesting to note that when the doctor gave the women their first check-up after arriving, it was the first time in any of their lives that they had been seen by a real doctor!

Construction on the second floor began in early October after all of the necessary permits were obtained and the rainy season was about over. As of this date (early January 2020) the walls are up and plastered, but the interior, including doors and windows, still need to be finished. Also, the rooms will need to be furnished before the widows can move in.

There are already several widows who have been selected to live on the second floor, and they are very anxiously waiting to come and live there. Hopefully they will be moving in soon!

Will you help provide for the care of a widow (and possibly her children) so that she can live out her years in peace and safety, secure in the knowledge that she will never have to go hungry again? Will you help provide her with a comfortable bed so that she will never have to sleep on the cold ground again? Will you help provide her with medical care so that when she gets sick she can get the medicine she needs?

All of the above can be provided for about the cost of a daily cup of coffee.

$50.00 per month, about $1.67 per day, is all it costs to care for a widow in her distress.

If you are ready to heed the call to true and undefiled religion, click the button below and sign up to sponsor a widow at the New Pathway Home for $50.00 per month.

You can give for as long as you choose, but we hope that you will commit to giving for at least one year. If you wish, we can send you a photo of your sponsored widow, and a short biography describing her life situation.

You can also be assured that 100% of your monthly sponsorship will be used to care for your widow at the New Pathway Home. None is held back for administrative expenses.

If you are not ready to commit to sponsoring on a monthly basis, any amount you can give will be greatly appreciated. Click the Donate Now button to give online, or you can also send a check to:

Myanmar Hope Christian Mission
1104 206th St E
Spanaway, WA 98387

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU!