May 2023 JTS America Newsletter
As the COVID-19 crisis subsided in 2023, JTS and Ven. Pomnyun Sunim began relief activities. We extend our gratitude once again to all of you who support us, including JTS volunteers listening to the stories of the people facing difficulties and conducting pre-investigation on sites, and our supporters making these activities possible.
Distributed rice to the people in extreme poverty and visited the village in Sri Lanka
Ven. Pomnyun Sunim recently visited Passara, the most impoverished area in Uva Province, Sri Lanka, and provided rice to 306 households in the elementary department of the Central School. Since last May, JTS has been assessing the difficult situation of the residents in the Passara region and have selected 1,300 households from six villages in the area to provide 20kg of rice per household as support.
Helped Samasan orphanage in Myanmar
Upon the request of Anna Ingpyo, the volunteer at the Ansan Multicultural Center, we have sponsored the Samasan orphanage located near Naypyidaw, the capital city of Myanmar. The Samasan Orphanage is a childcare facility where approximately 1,154 children and teenagers from newborns to 18 years old reside. In December, we provided the first round of clothing donations to the orphanage, and recently, we supported them with essential supplies and 32 boxes of masks as the second round.
Commenced the construction of four schools with groundbreaking ceremonies in Philippines
JTS has constructed schools in the conflict-affected region of Mindanao in the Philippines, fostering reconciliation among the communities and providing young students with dreams for the future. This year, JTS has initiated the construction of four schools in three municipalities–Talakag, Cabanglasan, and Manolo Fortich. The groundbreaking ceremonies mark the beginning of building one elementary school, two special education schools, and one high school for the students and communities in this region.
Distributed relief supplies in border areas in Turkiye
In April, Ven. Pomnyun Sunim visited the Watan camp, which is in a border area of Syria, and delivered relief supplies to 2,000 households. Each relief box contained a total of 14 different food items, making them quite heavy, exceeding 40kg each. With the help of many volunteers on-site, the elderly and children were able to safely take these relief items and have meals.
