So it begins
If to tell the whole story truthfully then I have to start from the beginning. The same way as an Estonian children’s character Agu Sihvka (Jaan Rannap „Koolilood“) starts his stories, mine is no different. I have arrived in Burma/Myanmar just a few days ago and if to run just a little bit ahead I can already state that I’m proud to call this country „home“ for the next couple of months.
It all began not too long ago with a simple e-mail, a heartwarming e-mail from Triinu from NGO Mondo was in my mailbox one morning saying that I got an opportunity to participate in a volunteer specialist project. The project of sending a Social Business Developer to Burma/Myanmar that is initiated and supported by NGO Mondo and funded by Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Since that e-mail the time has flown like never before and now I’m here. Spent a day and a half in Mandalay, one of the regional capitals of the country, today arrived in a small town called Hsipaw. Located in Shan state, it’s the doorway to a local village that will be my base hopefully from now on, Namlan. Why „hopefully“, one may ask. The country has it’s own ways, some areas, mainly where national minorities live are still closed for tourists, the same goes for Namlan — officially classified as a closed city by the Burmese Central Government Military and an area which does not have permission to develop infrastructure and accommodation possibilities for foreigners from the West. Nevertheless, in a couple of days when Sai Naw Kham, the head of CRED (Center for Rural Education and Development) is back from the capital Naypyitaw we’ll try to apply for a permit for me to live there in CRED’ Office.
Within those few days spent here I already feel like fitting in. Don’t get me wrong, I still am a cold Estonian who is not too fond of other people and warmth but while abroad everything is different as then it’s not you who chooses the environment and people around you but vice versa. And people are really openhearted and welcoming here to say the least. Starting with the guys in the Customs office who didn’t think of me as a dirty backpacker I’m usually considered as (and they are usually correct to be honest) but instead asked to take my picture as they had never seen hair color that white; the list continues with the lady working in the Currency Exchange who offered to drive me from the airport to the city herself which I had to refuse unfortunately due to the lack of safety belts in the car (Triinu’s worrying words in my head „Please do not sit in the taxi where there are no safety belts!“ — well, I didn’t, really proud of myself!); and it continues with the actual taxi driver who I ended up with and who kept repeating „Life will not be lost with me, one hundred percent!“. I was thankful for that!
Not being the biggest fan of European standards, high-tech solutions on every step and everything „predictable“, this is right down my alley. It’s a mix of my two favorites: Georgia and Nepal — different cultures and nationalities meet up, both modern and traditional lifestyles work in parallel. Regardless of the many positive outbursts the country has gone through the last decade there are unfortunately still several ethnic groups and communities where all developments have not reached. 60% of the population (of 53 million people according to the results of the census of population in 2015) are Bamar people and it is most logic that all the humanitarian aid, developments in health care and education are first going towards them. The rest are minority groups who are trying to find their own ways of catching up and ensuring elementary public services and education to all children regardless their ethnic background or being raised up in a more rural area.
Shan people are the largest of the ethnic minority groups, Shan state being the largest state in the country. NGO Mondo’s activities here are mainly focused on the northern part of the country where both Shan and Katchin people are living. As Burmese Central Government has set its aim to the central states then the border-areas and smaller village communities are not in the loop yet. The struggle for the access to public education and health services is real.
But what did I come here to do?
My main tasks in this country include supporting the local NGO CRED in their social enterprise idea of opening a new private school. Being one of the first bilingual schools in the district (Burmese and Shan languages with English being the strong foreign language to teach along) gives more opportunities for the children raised in Shan language. Other tasks include helping CRED with both business plan, idea development and action plan; finalizing certification process of EU Humanitarian Aid so their possibilities for professional help would widen; brainstorm with the NGO itself how to involve Namlan youngsters into entrepreneurship and learn along with the students what kind of creature is the world economy and what does a business need to start with.
Additional possibilities are related to students here, ten out of 70 are funded by Estonian businesses and business owners and it would be good to learn more about them, to know how they are doing and what might be their future dreams; the second additional role is totally from another opera — I’ll try to capture the parallel project on installing solar panels that Estonians are leading in Shan state but on that we’ll come back to probably in springtime.
So I have couple of days left when I can acclimatize from Estonian winter-without-snow to Burmese late spring with the sun shining even through the brick walls. I know that physicists might oppose to that but I will not back off from this.
A lot of opportunities and most likely a lot of fun lay ahead!
PS! And just as a clarification the answer to a most frequently asked question as I learned this recently myself as well: is it Burma? Is it Myanmar? Is either of the names banned? There is a logic behind it all actually. „Burma“ was an official name until 1989 and it came from the word Phama which meant „country“ in locals’ everyday language. But upper class has a word Myanma for „country“ so the country was divided for a long time. Fortunately de facto governor today, Aung San Suu Kyi, freed the country by equalizing the names officially so it can be called either one from now on. But! There is still a „But“: if one would like to avoid political debate with the locals the country should be referred to as Burma/Myanmar.
