Mae Sot touched our hearts

Mae Sot is a small city on the Thai Burma border; one where Imagine Thailand, along with numerous other NGOs (non-government organizations) works to better the conditions of the thousands of the many ethnic groups who have fled Burma. The regime that currently rules Burma runs the country by decree and has consistently been ranked as one of the most oppressive dictatorships in the world, in which widespread human rights abuses are perpetrated by the government against its critics, particularly ethnic minorities.

We had the privilege of touring the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot. The clinic was initially established in 1989 by Dr. Cynthia Maung, an ethnic Karen physician who fled Burma as a result of her involvement with pro-democracy activities. She established the clinic to provide health care for displaced individuals along the Thai-Burma border. The clinic has grown extensively since it was initially created, and in 2004 it recorded over 100,000 patient visits.

We had a tour of most of the clinic areas, but to respect the people who were seeking and receiving care, we did not take photos. The words "organized chaos" came to mind as we toured the clinic. There were people of all ages, from newborn babies that were being held by young parents who looked like children themselves; to others who were likely middle-aged, but who looked very old, worn and tired, their eyes reflecting the pain and hardships they have endured.

We saw tables that were used for beds; they were constructed of wood and had four posts for legs and a slab of wood for people to lie on; most were covered with vinyl and were without sheets or pillows. There was one bed that had a mattress and that could be cranked up to raise the head of the bed; it was rusty and looked at least fifty years old.

The coordinator of the clinic told us that the clinic is not supposed to function as a hospital; on record they are allowed to have only120 inpatients and that is what they record in the books. In reality, she said they often have over 400 inpatients plus the many family members who make the arduous trek to the clinic with their loved ones.

The clinic treats a wide range of illnesses/issues with the most common being malnutrition, malaria and tuberculosis. Often the patients are in severe shape when they arrive at the clinic; because the Burmese are denied health care in their own country, many have to travel long distances under dangerous circumstances to access health care.

The clinic sees many people who have stepped on land mines and require amputations; these patients are transferred to the Mae Sot hospital for the amputation and return to the clinic to recuperate. Much of the budget for the Mae Tao Clinic goes to transferring and paying for care at the Mae Sot hospital when care can not be provided at the clinic. In the prosthetics department the white board had a list of all new referrals for prosthetics; on the January list there were already 7 names, all missing limbs due to land mines. Seven lost limbs within the first week of January alone.

Outpatient areas included a dental clinic, eye clinic (where they do cataract surgery), pediatric care, mental health, chronic diseases clinic and a perinatal clinic. Inpatient areas included a birthing center, pediatrics and a medical/surgical area. The clinic generally has 300-500 outpatients per day; there were 2700 babies born in the clinic in 2008. They have a lab where they can do basic tests and a pharmacy (inpatient and outpatient). They also have a Health Information System department – a room with several computers where volunteers enter demographic information into a database on all patients who receive care.

The clinic is staffed by many volunteers and while they do have assistance from numerous doctors from other countries, a key focus of the clinic is to train and equip the local communities with the skills and knowledge necessary to manage the clinic.

I would dearly love for anyone who complains about our health care system in Canada to trade a day in this clinic; we have so much to be thankful for.

Our next stop in Mae Sot was at the AAPP (Assistance Association for Political Prisoners). In Burma anyone can be arrested for being involved in democracy activities and peaceful demonstrations, sometimes being sentenced for up to 7 years without a fair trail, for something as simple as distributing a pamphlet. The AAPP is a group that works to collect information about political prisoners and prison conditions, and to give assistance to political prisoners and their families. Most of the members are ex-political prisoners who are forced to live in exile; in Burma they are intimidated and harassed to prevent them from participating in political activities. The man who spoke to us had spent two lengthy jail terms in Burma for his political beliefs. He was living in Thailand because he did not want to return to jail again; while he didn’t speak in detail of the torture he endured, his voice choked with emotion as he remembered.

We visited three schools in Mae Sot; two where our "Tarts for Thailand" had provided funds to install a filtered water system. Kwe Ka Baung school brought tears to my eyes. Made of concrete, it isn’t really a school – it is two very run-down town-houses built over a market in a busy section of town. Over 400 migrant children go to this school and over 135 children also live at the school. There is no area for the children to play outside; there were no toys and very few educational materials for the children. The children who called this home slept in the same area they ate and studied. At night they pulled out their woven mats and placed them on the dirty concrete to sleep. It was truly heart-wrenching to see these conditions.

The next two schools still had many needs but were in much better shape than Kwe Ka Baung. Hsa Mu Htaw school is located in a more rural area, and while they struggle to feed the children who attend that school (about 120 students with 35 who live there) they were very hospitable and served us with fresh water (from their new water filtration system) and fresh fruit. The head-mistress of the school takes pride in her school and loves the children. She was a teacher in Burma for many years and started this school 10 years ago when she fled the conditions in Burma. She told me stories of children who come to the school, whose parents move on to find jobs and who never see their children again. She told me how the children cry for their parents, especially when they are sick, and it breaks her heart. She has no children of her own – she calls the children at the school “her children”. They are very fortunate to have her – she is a lovely person and very appreciative of the assistance provided. She showed us her ledger; with the provision of the water filtration system the school is able to sell clean drinking water to families in the community at a cheaper rate than elsewhere. This benefits the families and provides an income to the school to pay for the associated electrical costs and helps them to supplement their food budget.

The last school we saw was the United Christian Nursery School, a school where Imagine Thailand was doing an assessment to better understand their needs. We met with the head-master of the school, along with all of the teachers, even though it was a Saturday. This school has 9 teachers but only funding for 7; they receive 21,000 baht for teacher’s salaries so each teacher receives approximately $78 Canadian per month (less than $4/day). Because of funding cuts they will no longer receive rice beginning in June, a major staple in the children’s diets. They also have a need for a new roof on

the preschool; there is no ventilation in the existing roof so it becomes like a “bakehouse” during the hot season.

On our last day in Mae Sot we went to a garbage dump; not to drop off trash, but as it was International Children’s Day we went to participate in a celebration with the children and families that live at the dump. Again, the people living at the dump are migrants who have fled the conditions in Burma. They make their living by sifting through the garbage at the dump, selling some of what they are able to salvage.The owner of a local Mae Sot restaurant, along with who-ever else wants to volunteer and contribute, brings food and other supplies to the residents at the dump each year on International Children’s Day. There were approximately 200 children and adults that were living there; a school had been established at the edge of the dump and that is where the celebration took place. Most of the children were dirty and many had no shoes.

They were fed a Burmese noodle dish, fruit, water and juice, and ice cream cones for dessert. Many of the children came back numerous times to ask for additional fruit, hording it in their pockets or making pouches out of their shirts, or finding an empty bowl to store it in, saving it for the future. Music truly is an international language, and as the music and dancing started the children really came out of their shells.

Mae Sot is on the border of Thailand and Burma, the two countries separated by a river, but with a "friendship bridge" between the two countries. The border is very porous and many people either cross the bridge or come across on a water taxi (a large inflated inner tube). While crossing the border does not pose much difficulty, travelling further into Thailand does. As we took the bus in and out of Mae Sot it was stopped numerous times so the Thai police could check passports and ensure that people from Burma did not enter further. They were okay to stay in the refugee camps or to work as migrant workers in the Mae Sot area, but without proper paperwork (which many could not obtain) they could not go further. Their options were very limited.

As we heard people's stories and saw some of the conditions where people lived and went to school, we were deeply saddened. It is a reality so very different from ours. Yet, we also saw how individuals and organizations from countries across the world, including Thailand and Burma themselves, are providing assistance and truly are making a difference. We loved our time in Mae Sot and are very thankful we had this opportunity.