The devastating earthquake that struck Mandalay, Myanmar, has left destruction in its wake - including severe damage to the Higher Education College (HEC) founded by Columban Fr Neil Magill. The 160 students who study there now sleep outside on the ground, too afraid to return to their damaged dormitories and classrooms.
Fr Neil established the college in 2007 after witnessing how young people - bright but poor - struggled to find jobs or access higher education. The HEC was created to train them as teachers and development workers. Over 17 years, hundreds of students have graduated and returned to their remote villages to teach, uplift their communities, and inspire hope.
“The past 17 years have been the happiest of my life,” Fr Neil shares. “I have never met in any other country such kind, gracious, and appreciative young people - with cheerful eyes and joyous hearts.”
But today, those cheerful eyes are filled with fear. Myanmar has been in deep crisis since the military coup on 1 February 2021. A brutal junta has taken control, creating one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world. Over 50,000 people have been killed, 25,000 imprisoned, and 3.5 million displaced. Entire villages have been destroyed. Religious institutions - churches, monasteries, and mosques - have been bombed and burned.
Among the victims are Fr Neil’s own students. Two were shot dead, one is in prison, and others have disappeared without trace.
“What kind of government appeals for international aid while continuing to bomb its own people?” he asks.
The recent earthquake has added even more pain to an already suffering nation. Foreign journalists are banned, so the world cannot see the full scale of the devastation. As people searched through rubble for survivors, the military resumed airstrikes within hours of the quake.
The HEC in Mandalay was not spared. As bricks and debris fell from ceilings, the students and teachers narrowly escaped serious injury. But now, the buildings are too unsafe to return to. Classrooms and dormitories are in ruins. Students sleep outside, under the open sky. Food, clean water, and medicine are scarce. Most people in the city are now living and sleeping on the streets.
“From being young people with cheerful eyes and joyous hearts, they are now traumatised and sad, wondering what their future might be.”
Despite this heartbreaking situation, the Columbans missionaries remain hopeful - and committed to rebuilding the HEC. The students have already overcome poverty, injustice, and war. They deserve a second chance at a brighter future.
Columban Fr Neil Magill lives and works in Myanmar.
Related links
- Read more from the current Columban PEJ eBulletin.
