Balmore Trust Burma School nearing completion Interview with Gin Khan Khual Despite the recent tragic events in Burma, the rebuilding of the school in the Chin Hills, which the Balmore Trust has supported for over ten years, is nearing completion. Four years ago the school moved from the – relatively – more prosperous plains area in the east of Chin State (NW Burma) up into the mountainous area on the India/Bangladeshi border. This area is largely populated by small subsistence farmers. It has very basic educational and health facilities and the New Life for Burma Trust is working to provide quality education which can regenerate the area. Initialy the school was located in a primary school, built by the British in 1943. Extra class-rooms were added, made out of corrugated iron. 200 new pupils came to live in the village and the facilities became seriously overstretched. Over the last two years a new water supply has been installed; in March this year a new primary school was built. Materials from the old primary school have been reconstructed to provide hostels for the students and now the new main school building is ready for use. The school still urgently needs a kitchen, which is under construction, as well as staff quarters but for the moment they have bright class rooms and an educational environment where they can build on the successes they have already achieved. All this has only been achieved with wide support. The British Embassy in Rangoon visited the site two years ago and made a grant of US$10 000. Many groups in Scotland have supported the project, with a generous grants coming from Torrance Parish Church and St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow. Further grants have come from the BitMac Trust and the Weisfeld Foundation and from local fund-raising initiatives. Over the last ten years the Balmore Trust has donated £35 000. John and Nena Riches had planned to visit the school with the Embassy staff for its official opening in November, but this is not possible at present. Because of its remote position the school was not affected by the recent demonstrations and riots (they were so remote that they did not even know that they were going on). The Coach House at Balmore will again be running its Coach House Alternatives Present scheme. This year customers will, among a considerable range, be able to ‘give’ their friends and relatives desks and chairs, teachers’ salaries and school fees for the school in Burma.