Society Matters | Volume 31 No. 1 | Autumn 2021

Volume 31 No. 1 | Autumn 2021 4 Myanmar housing project puts love and faith into action An SVD housing project in Myanmar is providing decent homes to the poorest of the poor, many of whom have lost their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been forced to return from the city to their small village. The project idea was conceived by Fr Tuyen Nguyen SVD, who has been living and working in these villages for nearly 18 months as part of the SVD AUS Province’s new presence in Myanmar. The three villages of Sanpya, Talokone and Packon come under the township of Hmawbi where the SVD house is located, within the Sacred Heart Parish, about 70 km north of the commercial capital of Myanmar, Yangon. “With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have lost their jobs and have returned to the villages,” Fr Tuyen says. “Many families are weathering the devastating effects of the pandemic.” In visiting the families, Fr Tuyen says he has seen the most urgent need of all – the need to have an adequate place to live. “Their current living condition is in houses made out of straw and scraps of aluminium roofing,” he says. “There is no running water or electricity. “The rainy season brings with it various problems – from flooding to sanitary issues. Without an income, these families are unable to do the necessary repairs.” The people are unable to contribute any money towards building the houses, so the SVD, through its generous benefactors and partners in mission, is shouldering the expense both of the materials and the labour. Fr Tuyen says the project aims to provide 25 houses, with eight being completed so far and 10 under construction. While most of the families receiving a house belong to the Sacred Heart Parish, two are from non-Catholic families – a Buddhist and an Anglican. “The Anglican pastor was present during the blessing of the house built for the Anglicans,” he says. Fr Deva Savariyappan SVD, who is also based in Myanmar, says the inter-faith aspect of the project reflects the SVD commitment to inter-faith dialogue. “Jesus invites us to love others as ourselves, not just in words, but in concrete action,” he says. “Helping those in need is putting our love and faith in action. To provide shelter to the needy is providing shelter to Jesus himself who said, ‘Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do unto me’. “God’s love embraces all people and so should our love. Therefore, we have included non-Catholics in this housing project. “This is very much a part of our mission as Divine Word Missionaries, as we have Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation as one of our characteristic dimensions. We sincerely hope that it will also enable the people to experience God’s love for them and thus bring them even closer to Him.”