Welcome Elizabeth Willes!

Later Thursday afternoon (December 11), we went to the Community Health Worker training school in Insein (small town outside Rangoon and home to the infamous prison). I was so surprised to see a welcome banner! And the girls presented me with a bouquet of roses. This was all because of the support BACA gives to the school, which has included renovating the girls’ dormitory (where the banner was hung, see photo). It’s not that I have done so much, it’s that I receive the gratitude that people wish to express to my father and aunt. That being said, I hope to become more involved with BACA and trying help people in Burma as part of the new phase of my life.

At this school girls come from all over the country to get trained as nurses’ aides, also called community health care workers, since they can go back into their communities and play a vital role in basic health education (vital in rural areas, where health care is non-existent). In hearing about such programs in India and Indonesia, I know that having a local person, who understands the culture to provide basic health education, can go a long way to prevent disease, malnutrition and infant mortality.

So how does the military repressive regime impact people’s day-to-day lives? Besides having no freedom of speech or freedom of association, the military prohibits competition from outside companies in certain areas, like telecommunications. The military controls the phone lines, and getting one (a land line!) costs $3,000 USD. It’s about the same for a cell phone. A small Japanese or Korean made car costs around $30,000 USD due to taxes and restrictions imposed y the government. That is why you see so many other modes of transport, including ox cart, tractor, bicycle and tri-shaw. One of my goals is to raise the $3,000 USD needed to get a phone line to the Community Health Care Worker School, something they desperately need (along with a library, teaching models, a generator, etc).

So despite the sometimes claim of socialism that is applied to the military regime, this regime does not take care of its people. Health care is provided – at a cost that is prohibitive for many people. Schools are also provided – at a cost, with the better schools taking the students who may be able to grease the palms of the administrators.