Many of the events happening in Myanmar as of late have been tragic, to say the least. Despite new developments into the murders of at least 18 Myanmar nationals, and of the two Myanmar men found guilty in murdering a British official, there is actually a silver lining.

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is well known for its role in human trafficking and its penchant for sex slaves. The United Nations Inter-Agency stated “Myanmar is a source country for women, children and men trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. Myanmar people are trafficked to Thailand, China, Malaysia, South Korea, and Macau for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and forced labor.”

This leaves the country’s girls in precarious and life threatening situations. Many of them are faced with being sold into these lifestyles at an early age, and see no other future for themselves.

Fortunately, this is where the hope comes in. The streets of Myanmar are lined with Buddhist nuns, ranging from all ages and beginning for some as young as 5 years old. Their attire consists of pink, loose-fitting shirts and pants with orange scarves. The girls all have shaved heads, and accept alms to pay for their schooling, food, housing and other basic needs. In fact, the nunnery owner Daw Aye Theingi scrapes up the $200 a year it takes to send the girls to school through donations.

Being a woman is a struggle in Myanmar. It is even more of a tussle for those who are poor and living up north, where tribes are still battling the government. Albeit unfair, monks do not face the same economic stumbling blocks. The large temples cater to all of their needs.

A generous contribution to the nunnery is included in the plans to build a modern, three-story building to house the girls. The building is highly anticipated and will not be complete until the summer.

“Mother” nun Daw emphasizes that she just wants “a better life for them.” The girls have the choice of remaining at the establishment after they have turned 18, or leaving to start a new life in the city. It is rare that any of them ever return home.

There is no denying the fact that without this nunnery a lot more innocent girls would be in harm’s way. There have been no accurately tallied estimates on the number of people trafficked annually in Myanmar, although a total of 134 trafficking cases were investigated in 2008, involving 303 victims (153 female and 50 male) and 342 traffickers were prosecuted. In 2003, UNICEF estimated that 10,000 girls were being trafficked every year from Myanmar into Thai brothels alone.

There is no doubt that the Thadama Myintzu Nunnery has saved the lives of over 200 girls. The sad reality of this is the fact that many of these girls do not see their parents for years, if ever again.

There is no concrete way to send monetary donations and other endowments to the nunnery, due to lack of Internet or modern conveniences. However, there are organizations geared towards directly helping women in Myanmar like the We Women Foundation. Awareness is key in helping these young girls escape the vicious cycle of corruption set out before them.