Posted by :   on 30/06/2008 at 12:46

Our Partner, Pastor Bec reports from the field on how the Karen people are repairing their communities and using the aid we were able to send.

“I have just returned to Rangoon from the Irrawaddy Delta region. On this trip we were able to purchase the 4 boats ordered. These boats will be used to get foodstuffs, staples and building materials to the remote outlying villages as well as transporting teams to minister to the needs of the people living there.

"We were also able to give funds to help the school children and orphans.

"I travelled together with the Karen Peace Council, medical professionals, and Pastor Timothy. We visited Bogale one of the main townships in the Delta region which was affected by Cyclone Nargis.

"Over 250,000 people have died in the townships of Bogale, Laputta, and Pyapon. As we passed through the townships, Cyclone Nargis’ mark was evident in the heaps of rubble still piled along the roadside; the graveyard filled with fresh new graves, some grave tombs were seen even in the fields near family homes.

"Mighty trees were bent to one side and rice fields and land had become swamp land, some houses even sitting in the middle of large pools of water, having makeshift bridges made leading up to the entrance of patched bamboo huts. Where homes had collapsed, they had built new ones almost in the same place. Some were made entirely of plastic sheeting, others were patched together, while others had brand new thatching. There were little separate huts made especially to house the family pig. Along the road we saw also the occasional pair of buffalo wallowing in mud pools. These livestock were given by the Burmese government.

"The children were seen walking along the main road between Bogale and Pyapon on their way to school, barefooted, walking a distance that would take one hour by car. Some in school uniform, others in whatever they had to wear.

"Despite the hardship they have endured, everywhere I went they had a ready smile to welcome me, a foreigner is an extremely rare sight in these parts. Yet, having known the local people for a long time, I knew behind the smile was heartbreak so deep there were no words for expression. The eyes are truly the window of the soul.

"After visiting the medical clinic of Prof. Dr Simon and Dr Rebecca in Bogale, where there were throngs of people waiting for attendance, we boarded the boat for the outlying areas. The trip was 5 hours down river.

"The river we travelled is known now as the ‘River of Bones’. Over 300,000 people, men, women and children died along these river-ways.

"The destination village where we spent the night was Gartheme. The population at Gartheme is 250 houses (each home accommodating approx. 6-10 people). As I went through the village all the children and their mothers came out to see us. Most of them were a bit shocked and shy until they discovered I could speak Karen. The children then followed me wherever I went.

"One woman told me her story. She had 6 children but the winds blew through the village bringing the water flooding in. She managed to grab 2 of her children, but did not have enough hands to grab the other 4. She watched in horror as her 4 children drowned before her very eyes. It is every mother’s nightmare in reality.

"As we returned to the boat, there was refuse and rubbish lapping up against the river bank, heaps of it, yet the local people were seen bathing in the river water only 50 feet away. There is rubble and rubbish piled up everywhere. The people have done what they can to clean up without the ready technology that is found in other countries.

"At this point, I was told to wait here on the bigger boat as Pastor Timothy and the Karen Peace Council went further up river to Citant, a very remote village, in a small dinghy with an outboard motor because it is inaccessible by big boat. They were to discover that the waterway leading to Citant had become mostly mud so they had to sludge through mud pushing their boat to reach the village. They returned to those of us waiting 5 hours later. Although it was a long wait sitting in the boat the whole time, the time was spent reflecting on what I had seen and heard and on how we could further help in this seemingly insurmountable task of rebuilding whole villages basically from scratch. Not just one village or two but several hundred or more. 100 churches to date alone need to be rebuilt.

"On this trip we paid for the 4 boats ordered and gave funds for the school children and orphaned children. We then returned up river to Bogale township and spent the night there before heading back to Yangon (Rangoon). On the way back, children ran to the side of the road to wave to us as we passed.

"About half way to the next township of Pyapon, our vehicle broke down and after what seemed like ages, we finally had to tow it by rope the rest of the way.

"Upon arriving in Pyapon we went down several back streets to find a car repair shop. I was seeing areas of the country never seen by a foreigner. We met a retired medical doctor, a colleague of Dr Simon. He was thrilled to hear of the Karen Peace Council and Asian Tribal Ministries and that Hope was on the Way for his town. He took us to see the church they were rebuilding from the ground up. The church had been completely flattened by the cyclone. We were introduced to the Pastor there. I asked him where he had received the funding for the building materials, which were mostly brick and concrete, noticing at the same time, plastic sheeting printed with an aid agency logo. He said aid agencies had been through the town and had distributed aid but they were not interested in building churches or homes. The members of the church themselves had put whatever money they had together to build the church. They had raised enough for the church building but have nothing left to rebuild their homes.

"We were able to give funds for him and his church members to begin the process of rebuilding their homes also. I believe in Divine appointments. Had our vehicle not broken down, we would have just passed through the town without stopping, but God brought us to meet with this doctor and pastor. I promised we would do all we could to bring help and hope into their situation.

"If your church is interested in fund-raising and sending construction teams to the Irrawaddy Delta to help in the rebuilding of whole villages, homes, churches, schools, medical clinics and landscaping working side by side with the Karen Peace Council and government officials. Then please let us know. We have gained permission for such teams to come, if done through authorized procedures. Without the Karen Peace Council recommendation and blessing, there is no way for foreigners to have access to these remote areas.

"In closing, my impression of Burma is this: Yes, the people are in dire need, they are facing hardship beyond comprehension. The task of cleaning up and rebuilding after such devastation is overwhelming, yet the people themselves have a resilience that is praiseworthy. They don’t complain but continue on with life as ‘normal’ despite the obvious paradoxical circumstances. The schools are held in tents; women are seen washing their clothes and hanging them on the side walls of their hut; the men are out in the fields ploughing through the mud the ‘traditional’ way with yoked buffalo, children playing or helping with chores. Fishermen are back to casting their nets.

"The country is in the beginning stages of rebuilding mostly from scratch after the cyclone, in more ways than one. The Burmese government officials and the people have been seen working hand in hand to remove debris and to meet the needs of the people despite the lack of modern technical equipment for such clean ups. The government has provided hand ploughed tractors for agriculture etc in the main townships and livestock for the traditional farmers and other things, and although the emergency aid was appreciated when it was needed most, they are also keen to see the people self-sufficient rather than relying on handouts. There is a uniqueness of culture and a richness of character in the people of Burma that cannot be compared anywhere in the world. Burma holds a lot of potential to be a beautiful place, both in land and in heart. Though now back in Thailand once again for a time, I have left my heart in Burma."