The Story of Eh Htoo

Eh Htoo was born and raised in one of the poorest areas of rural Myanmar. He grew up in a household where there was no money. No electricity. No education. No hope. Even love was in short supply. His stepfather was a violent alcoholic. For Eh Htoo, home was not a haven. It was a house of horrors that he needed to escape.

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The only way out was the military. It seemed the smart option. Years of propaganda had convinced Eh Htoo that joining the army was an act of patriotism. It wasn’t long before he realised, he’d made a terrible mistake. The pay was low. Rations were insufficient. And the system was cruel and corrupt. Eh Htoo served as a mine specialist. It was an incredibly dangerous job. A single misstep could mean death. But he wasn’t allowed to quit. The minimum length of military service was ten years. He was trapped in the army, just as surely as he had been trapped in his old village.

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Like so many soldiers, he started drinking. But the cheap, toxic alcohol was as deadly as the landmines. He watched his friends die, one by one. Determined not to follow them into an early grave, he joined the army’s martial arts program. Training was brutal, requiring enormous reserves of discipline and endurance. But Eh Htoo had found his salvation, although he didn’t know it at the time. He became so skilled with his fists that he even competed in underground fights to supplement his meagre army wage. He was surviving. But it was no kind of life.

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Then after 11 years, he was granted a rare medical discharge. He fled to the Thai border town of Mae Sot and married. Life was extremely difficult in the first year. Eh Htoo didn’t have the paperwork he needed to work in Thailand. And because he was a former soldier, the other Burmese refugees treated him with suspicion, even hatred.

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Eventually, he found his way to Hebron Youth Directions. The Hebron team immediately recognised that Eh Htoo possessed skills that could help other refugees. They built a gym where Eh Htoo now instructs in fitness and self-defence. He taught himself English and completed an online course in nutrition and personal training.

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His hugely successful program promotes healthy lifestyles, personal discipline and a strong mental attitude. The result is a new sense of hope and purpose for Eh Htoo and his students.

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The man who was once ostracised by the Burmese community is now one of its most respected youth workers. Eh Htoo has rebuilt his life, just as he is now rebuilding the lives of the Burmese refugees of Mae Sot.

He is achieving so much for so many. All he needed was a second chance. And Hebron Youth Directions was able to give him that.