Directors Henry (Faith Orphanage) and Sonny (Beulah Orphanage) showing off their catch of fish

Dear Friends,

Jody and I had a blast today! A few of the Kalaymyo orphanage directors invited us to go fishing, Myanmar-style. We drove over an hour via motorbikes on dirt oxen paths and then hiked on foot to a beautiful river and waterfalls. Soon our friends had a small fire built and were strategically positioning themselves along the river banks.

Two of the men then lit small sticks of dynamite and tossed them into the river. The boom that followed startled us—and lots of fish as well! Dozens of fish then surfaced, temporarily immobilized. The men quickly dove into the river to grab the fish before they floated downstream or the effects of the blast wore off.

Because they only had one net to share among them, many stuffed fish into pockets, under shirts, and even their mouths!

Once the fish were caught, we gathered around the small fire and the feast began! And, I must say, it was delicious!

You can see the whole event in the pictures below. (Dynamite fishing is illegal in many places and is very dangerous. So don’t try this at home!)

Elisabeth Walter
Director, Orphan’s Tear division

Each of the directors spread themselves out along the river to make sure none of the fish got away!

BOOM! The dynamite was thrown into the river and shook the ground beneath our feet as the water burst up.

Time to grab as many fish as possible!

We all enjoyed a fine fish fry over an open fire

Jody and I had a blast…and the food was good, too!