Empowering Youth with Education – Burma (EYE-B) is the collaboration work of the individuals and organizations including Oakland Burmese Mission Baptist Church (OBMBC), Karen Christian Fellowship Church (KCFC), Burma Association at Berkeley (BAB), One Myanmar Community (OMC) and more.
EYE-B is an educational program mainly intended to help Burmese refugee youths from Burma-Thailand border with their English and school work as they are struggling with language and cultural barriers in the U.S.A.
The program was started as Youth Exchange Program (YEP) with the initiation and volunteering of BYA (now known as OMC) on September 25, 2010 in Oakland, with the help of some Burmese ethnic leaders such as Ma Nwe Oo and a community organization called CHAA (Community Health for Asian Americans). The location of the class was later moved to Oakland Burmese Mission Baptist Church (OBMBC) from CHAA office in Feb 2011. The name was also changed to Youth Education Program (YEP). Since then, the program has been run every Saturday by Karen Fellowship, OBMBC and OMC partnering together.
In 2012, YEP name was again changed to EYE-B (Empowering Youth with Education – Burma), to more effectively, continuously and tirelessly serve the educational needs of newly arrived Burmese refugee students in the SF Bay Area. EYE-B strives to promote and instill the value of education within the Burmese Community in the SF Bay Area in the belief that with a strong foundation of continuous learning and education, we as a society can be more flourished, liberated and celebrated.
OMC is actively involved in many aspects of the EYE-B, from transportation to tutoring in every single EYE-B activity. Some of the OMC core members are also EYE-B staff.
EYE-B organizes tutoring sessions every Saturday from 12 noon to 3pm at the OBMBC, 534 22nd St. Oakland, CA 94612 with the main focus on
1. Teaching English to the newcomer Burmese refugee students
2. Helping with their school work
3. Providing information on the higher education
EYE-B always welcomes and appreciates
– Volunteers who can help out with transportation (11am – 12pm & 3-4pm) and tutoring every Saturday
– Donors and sponsors to sustain the program
– Suggestions to improve the program
For pictures and weekly sessions update : https://www.facebook.com/groups/yepper/
