We Help You to Fly

There is a deep feeling of accomplishment among the Baan Unrak staff and the Green Island School volunteers. Following the devastating earthquake in Myanmar in late March 2025, we spent April 2025 providing emergency relief.

We then decided to go further and help families who had lost everything by building simple but safe houses, not only to protect them during the monsoon season, but also from the scorching sun and to give them a secure place where they could close the door, rest peacefully, and sleep without fear of intruders taking their few belongings. We promised the displaced community that we would build 77 houses. Now, in May 2026, we are grateful to say that we have fulfilled that promise.

From the moment we made the promise, we often wondered if we would truly be able to fulfill it. We are all volunteers, and continuing this work depends entirely on the support of others. Many wonderful organizations and individuals came forward and contributed in the ways they could.

It was painful to see earthquake victims facing the heavy monsoon rains under thin tarpaulins while funding arrived slowly and support began to fade. Then, in the middle of the monsoon, new hope arrived through the We Help You To Fly program. The donor who had first helped launch the housing project stepped forward once again to support the construction of the remaining 40 houses.

There is something special about beginning a work, but there is something even more meaningful in completing it.

The first house was built in May 2025, and the remaining 40 houses were completed between November 2025 and May 2026.

The “We Help You to Fly” program was created by Cristina to fulfill the wish of her parents, Lucia Mezzari and Ermanno Noce, who wanted to help alleviate suffering in the world. Cristina did everything she could to continue their vision and turn their dream into reality. She was overjoyed to see the program finally achieve its cherished goal and deeply happy to know that so many families found safety through her parents’ dream.

At Baan Unrak, we also feel grateful that, although it took one year, we were finally able to fulfill our promise. Our team worked with great sincerity. Alongside the construction work, they also carried out many other acts of service, assisting people in hospitals and helping pay for life-saving surgeries.

The people of Myanmar are still facing deep difficulties. We have helped where we could, but much more remains to be done. Because of the ongoing internal conflict, many people feel safer near the border and try to enter neighboring countries. However, many borders remain closed, so families move toward large towns where they hope to find greater safety from bombings and conflict in the countryside.

Here at Baan Unrak, located on the Thai–Myanmar border, we witness firsthand the suffering of people who ask for nothing more than a small place where they can live safely and survive. Their greatest hope is simply for their children to study, grow, and have a better future.

Our team will soon leave Mandalay and return to Yangon, but their hearts still beat for the people who lost everything. We were able to reach many, yet many more are still longing for a safe place to live. Before leaving, our team ensured that the remaining funds from the housing project would be fully dedicated to the poor in Mandalay.

They walked through the slum streets and government hospitals, buying medicine for those who could not afford it, making sure that every last penny would go to those in need.