Nuns Collect Alms 1Nuns asking for alms, Hsipaw, Shan State, Myanmar. As I was wandering the streets after just arriving in town, I came across this group of young nuns asking for alms. It is fairly common to see groups of monks or nuns making their rounds in the morning. Not considered begging, the average person is happy to contribute food to people who are devoted to the study of their religion. Eighty-nine percent of the population of Burma is Buddhist.