By Courtney Prater, Missionary Intern to Myanmar
This clinic update is written with the help of Joana Jones, Josiah and myself. Joana sent information via email of the overall clinic, focus’, treatment, trainings and purpose. Last December Joana, Eric, Brad, and Todd, Josiah and I visited the empty lot where the Myanmar Community Development Center would be built. Finally, this past week Josiah and Simon took me to visit the lot with a few major updates and they shared their plan of action with me.
A clinic is and has been in the process of being built in hopes of a brighter, healthier future for the people in Myanmar. Myanmar is lacking healthcare providers along with training, especially in rural areas. This training will meet the needs and provide income for young women.
The primary focus is on wellness, not on treatment, although both will be covered. Health education will be a primary responsibility of our graduate nurses along with some competence in treating diseases and wounds.
The foundation of the program will be lessons taken from the library of the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) health and hygiene lessons. Below is a list of those lessons (in no particular order) that Joel and Josiah have translated:
Diarrhea (2 lessons), Skin parasites, Scabies, Malaria (lessons on both treatment and prevention), SODIS — Solar water Distillation, Colds ,Complications of colds, Clean water (3 lessons), Round worms and washing hands, Hookworms and wearing shoes, Tapeworms, Immunizations, Preventing Accidents, Finding out which children do not see or hear well
Eye Care (two lessons), Feeding children a healthy diet (2 lessons), Children’s Growth , First Aid – Responding to emergencies, First Aid — Choking, First Aid — Wounds and injuries, First Aid – Fractures, First Aid – Burns and bites
First Aid — Review of all First Aid lessons, Dental health – 3 lessons, Hygiene in Our Community — Germs, Flies and Diseases, Hygiene in Our Community — Garbage Pits, Hygiene in Our Community — Latrines
And there are probably more Health and Hygiene lessons that have been written (and that would be appropriate) since these were translated. This is easily two weeks — and perhaps as much as four weeks of lesson material when taught in the CHE fashion.
We are also hoping to form partnerships with various international and national medical groups to provide much of the training. In addition to formal classroom training, students would also receive clinical practice interning with local medical providers in both formal and informal settings.
It is a well established fact that investing in educating girls and women can strengthen families, lift them out of poverty, save the lives of young children, improve the health of a community, improve agricultural productivity and generally uplift the status of all women. Although menwill be welcomed warmly, our target group is young women who are passionate about serving their home communities.
- Good water flows from a new well. Pictured is Josiah, who will be the director of the Myanmar Community Development Center
Last December Josiah took our group to visit the lot where the clinic would soon be. It was simply an open field that left our imaginations open to visualize the healthier future that the clinic would bring. However, since December the has been great progress.
1. A fence has been built around the whole field that has been purchased for the clinic.
2. An entrance gate has been installed.
3. A water tower has been built with a well and water pump.
Next on the list will be the actual building of the clinic. It will be built off to one side of the field allowing gardens growing vegetables to be made on the opposite side. Behind the building there is a group of trees giving just enough shade to build a pig pin. Lastly (for now) a guards house will be built at the front of the field to watch over the clinic.
Two congregations have been particularly instrumental in bringing the project to this point: Christ’s Church in Mason, OH had a VBS which raised significant funding to pay for the property. Bethel Baptist of Galesburg, IL has provided funding for all building onsite. What wonderful partners with Asian Children’s Mission! We are just in the beginning phases, so individual and church sponsors are still needed!