Delivering Hope and Healing on the Thai-Myanmar Border.
How a former Sydney emergency nurse is creating change on the Thai-Myanmar border.
In the jungles of Thailand, a touching scene unfolds. In the dimly lit interior of a small rustic home constructed from a patchwork of handmade bricks, bamboo, and weathered sheets of corrugated iron, Than Than Win shares a tender moment with her son, Kyaw Myint while a dedicated team from the Burma Children Medical Fund (BCMF) swiftly assemble pieces of a child's wheelchair.
Aid worker and technical engineer Saw Aung Tin Tun assures Kyaw Myint and his mother that the specially crafted wheelchair will soon be ready, promising a life-altering transformation for the family from the quaint village of Mae Khong, situated on the Salawin River at the western edge of the Myanmar border in northern Thailand.
Standing at the door, watching all of this unfold, is Kanchana Thornton, the Director of and compassionate force behind the BCMF. With a background in emergency nursing in Sydney, Australia, Thornton's nurturing presence envelops the scene as she talks about the challenges faced by Kyaw Myint and many others like him. BCMF provides help with costs for medical treatment and supplies, such as wheelchairs, for some of the most vulnerable people living on the Thai-Myanmar border.
Ms Thornton, who has been helping the less privileged along the Thai-Myanmar border for over two decades and is a committed advocate for the marginalised communities found here, says it has been a difficult journey providing essential medical care amidst the chaos and uncertainty.
“When the Myanmar junta took control of the country, the fragile health care system started crumbling. This was especially apparent in the rural areas of Myanmar, where medical supplies and help are scarce,” says Ms Thornton.
“Families in these rural areas and the IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps face many challenges. Our medical team ensures that people in Burma and on the Thai border can access good healthcare.”
As Ms Thornton looks over Kyaw Myint, soothing his forehead and checking his legs and arms, she reassures Than Than Win that she will no longer need to carry her son around anymore, and he will now be able to sit down on his own and be easily transported with his new wheelchair.
“These wheelchairs are specially crafted for children. Sitting in adult wheelchairs is not only extremely uncomfortable for small children, but it is also unsafe. This new wheelchair is designed for small children with severe disabilities. Now, his mother can move him around their village in a correctly fitted children’s wheelchair,” Ms Thornton says.
In a nondescript warehouse in the outer suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, a group of retirees diligently assemble wheelchair components, infusing each piece with care and dedication. These unsung heroes of Wheelchairs for Kids, with weathered hands and hearts brimming with goodwill, ensure their creations go beyond borders to reach children in need on the farthest corners of the globe.
Kyaw Myint’s new wheelchair was produced by this same group. Wheelchairs for Kids comprises about 200 elderly volunteers who use their collective skills to produce more than 200 wheelchairs a month for children globally. According to 83-year-old volunteer workshop manager Ollie Pickett, the not-for-profit team has constructed and distributed almost 60,000 wheelchairs over the past 27 years.
“There is something quite rewarding when you help these kids in need. Our wheelchairs go to children with all kinds of disabilities, such as land mine victims or cerebral palsy sufferers. They go to over 70 countries, including Indonesia, China, Iraq, and Burma. We are changing lives worldwide,” says Mr Pickett, who started his career as a high school metalwork teacher.
“The first wheelchairs were made from old push bike frames from the local dump. They did the job, but as more requests came in, it became harder to find old bikes. So, we were forced to make a few changes. Fast forward some 25 years and 9 model design changes later, and we now have a fully adjustable design to allow for the child’s growth.”
Pickett says the new rough terrain wheelchair is the Land Rover of wheelchairs. It has solid puncture-proof tyres, wheel covers, an easy-to-clean plastic seat, and a single front wheel, making travelling over rough pot-holed jungle tracks easier. It also has a seat belt.
“On the production line, we have crane drivers working alongside doctors and housewives working alongside accountants. It’s a great place to work. We also have a backup labour force of ladies from numerous nursing homes and church groups who help sew and make blankets and rugs to go out with every wheelchair made.”
Back in Thailand on a smoke-hazed morning, a small group of ethnic Karen refugees make their way across the Myanmar-Thai river crossing. Each year, more than 100,000 Burmese and other ethnic groups make their way to the Mae Tao Clinic (MTC), located in the small Thai town of Mae Sot. This is where the Burma Children's Medical Fund is located. The MTC is a medical facility initially set up by Karen refugee and Nobel prize nominee Dr Cynthia Maung. Here, everyone from migrant workers to refugees from minority groups suffering in Rakhine, Kachin, Shan, and Karen states inside Myanmar’s borders can access medical help and treatment.
Another day and another young victim of the conflict in Myanmar paints a stark picture of the challenges faced by children in war-torn regions. Kyaw Win is 14 years old and is yet another victim of an indiscriminate aerial bombardment by the Myanmar military.
Human rights groups report that the military's violent crackdown on opponents of its 2021 coup has led to more than 5,000 deaths and more than 26,654 arrests, with as many as two million people displaced and tens of thousands seeking medical help from injuries inflicted by the civil war.
Kyaw Win tells his story to the medical team about fleeing a country and travelling to the border two months ago. Severely disfigured and left without hands or legs, Kyaw Win talks of air attacks from military helicopters and jet fighters in and around the small village where he lived. Kyaw Win’s mother carried him for three days to a nearby river crossing point for medical treatment.
“Unfortunately, the children of Myanmar pay a dreadful price for the military regime’s airstrikes and ground attacks on civilians,” says Ms Thornton, as a member of her medical team measures up the young boy’s limbs for future prosthetics.
Aside from the junta’s aerial bombardment, landmines are also still a big problem in Myanmar. Large sections of the country are littered with mines or remnants of war from past or ongoing conflicts. According to a recent UNICEF report, every three days in Myanmar, a person is a victim of landmines, and on average, one in three is a child.
Ms Thornton and her team discuss the next steps of prosthetics with Kyaw Win’s mother. She explained that the team would take measurements and print the 3D parts needed at the BCMF office in Mae Sot.
As the stories of Kyaw Win and other young souls scarred by conflict are told, Ms Thornton's team comes up, time and time again. Their efforts to provide prosthetics and medical aid to the war-ravaged regions underscore the poignant tales of resilience and healing amidst the chaos.
At the BCMF office, 3D projects manager Saw Aung Tin Tun shapes and sands one of Kyaw Win’s prosthetic arms. Several donated 3D printers are whirring behind him, busy making more parts for artificial limbs.
“Back in 2019, the Fund began printing prosthetics for some of the locals who had lost arms and legs from birth defects, landmine explosions or injuries inflicted by the conflict. Unfortunately, these days, with fighting starting up again, the team are printing more prosthetics than ever,” the young mechanical technician says.
An eight-seater van pulls off the main Thai border highway and takes on a bumpy, dusty, winding road that leads to a crossing point to Myanmar on the Salawin River in Northern Thailand. It’s still early, but overhead, the sun’s rays pierce down in anticipation of another hot day.
Kanchana Thornton explains that a local clinic in a remote part of Myanmar has contacted the BCMF about several patients needing urgent medical help. The Thai government has permitted the medical team to help these patients cross the border to access complex medical care. The team must assess the patients before arranging the necessary transport and care.
“This work is rewarding but can also be heartbreaking,” says Ms Thornton as she boards a rickety boat in readiness for the short river crossing. “Sometimes the patient's medical needs are far greater than what the clinic can provide.”
On her return, she tells of three teenage patients who must be evacuated to Chang Mai Hospital in Thailand for urgent medical attention. Two have conflict injuries, and the other has kidney problems. “I have assessed the patients and will now liaise with the medical team in Chang Mai.”
Despite Ms Thornton and her team's tireless efforts, the work is far from over. As they strive to provide medical care and support to these vulnerable communities, the continued generosity of donors remains instrumental in their mission to make a difference in the lives of those most in need.
“Sometimes the demand outweighs the medical supplies, equipment, and financial help we have available. Thanks to donor support, we do what we can. As long as there is a need, we will continue to help families afford the treatment their children desperately need.”
For more information about Burma Children’s Medical Fund visit: BurmaChildren.com