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Mary Poharn
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We first met Mary Poharn in March. After that, whenever we mentioned her name to a Shan monk, he replied, "She was my English teacher." Everyone sang her praises. She even taught Sai Htee Seng, one of Burma's most popular singers. With her refined face, snapping eyes, and droll sense of humor, Mary is a legend. Her "Sweet Home" orphanage in Pieng Luang, a village located right on the border between Thailand and Shan State of Burma, is usually full with more than twenty young Shan orphans. The children's stories reflect the tragedy and instability of the region. Some of their parents died from illness; others were executed by the Burmese military or caught in the crossfire of the civil war. Still others are in Thai prisons for drugs or prostitution.
Mary grew up in an orphanage run by Italian sisters in Shan State. There she learned to value education and practical training. Sweet Home runs like clockwork. The children, ranging in age from 3 to 15, have assigned duties, appropriate to their ages. When they have finished their tasks--cleaning, cooking, washing up, and gardening--the children do their homework. They all attend the local schools, receiving education to which they are entitled under new provisions in the Thai constitution. To ensure that they retain their heritage, however, only Shan is spoken at Sweet Home
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Mary was anxious to provide the children with additional practical skills, and BRC--USA provided her assistance to buy looms. With expert training from a professional Shan weaver from Fang, the children quickly became adept at their own weaving. When we revisited Sweet Home in November, BRC--USA bought all the hand-woven pieces they had made and ordered more. (Most of them have already been incorporated into original tailored jackets by Julie, Bangkok's finest dressmaker.) Because even the littlest ones help by preparing the thread, all the children receive pocket money from the sales, but the older, more skillful children earn the most. We were amazed at the intricate designs the older girls could create. We watched one girl begin and finish a piece in a day. We are happy to be part of this project, enabling the children to buy books and still have some personal spending money. As Shan orphans from Burma, they will need all the skills and resources they can get to support themselves in a very uncertain future.
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Lunch at Sweet Home
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Transferring thread to a bobbin for the loom
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An example of the patterns we have used in our original jackets
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Weaving a shoulder bag
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