Watching the Border Revealingly- Taiwanese Volunteers in Mae Sot
We always talk about peace, but stable life is hard to realize. The war, poverty and the pain, at that moment, a doctor is willing to help you is such a wonderful thing.
Only far away from one river, The military government, Myanmar, does not allow any NGOs to get into the border. Oppositely in Thailand, The military comes to ask what we are here for. Actually, the only one hospital is 5 km far from the border. It is Mae Tao Clinic. (MTC) There are more than 100 sickbeds filled with critically ill patients. There are still a lot of people waiting to see the doctor. Hundreds of patients along with their families, food, housing and care are all covered by MTC. The people who opens the hospital at the border is so called “Burmese Mother Teresa" internationally.
It is Dr. Cynthia Maung. She is also a fleeing refugee, but rejects political asylum from the Western. MTC trains a group back-packer medical service teams. Cross over land and water, delivery, treatment and life saving. Many staffs at MTC were cured here before. Be cured and stayed, receiving medical training and started to help. International aids never stop.
At MTC, volunteers from Taiwan, not only a doctor, but students with IT background. They built Digital Opportunity Center for MTC. Not only donating computers, but teaching.
Li-an Chang: There in Mae Sot, They started from interacting with children, taught them how to use digital camera, and did basic word processing. Afterward we went to MTC and taught something advanced, such as applied software, and programming. Little by little, We raised computers to donate letting them have one computer classroom.
Due to the course of overseas e-services, they met the border of Thailand and Burma, and they actively go there to volunteer again and again every winter and summer vacation. After graduation, they applied for a registration as an NPO and kept training other volunteers.
Li-an Chang: In Taiwan, the most difficult thing for NPOs is funds raising. In fact, when looking for sponsor from an enterprise, less is willing to sponsor students doing volunteer services overseas Many enterprises concern about if they can see the effects.
Cynthia Wu: These students use their specialty to help others. Because of this project, they use technology to help these Thai and Burmese people. I think hi-tech industry in Taiwan is internationally famous, but few will think about using hi-tech to volunteer like these students.
Because when she was in school and employment stage, she had experiences of volunteer. That’s why she is more willing to invest on young people’s creative project of volunteer services.
Cynthia Wu: The feature of the project is that it has seeds training classroom which is similar to our females health and inheritance arts. Because it has spirit of persistence, they do not just go there for one time to help, but they train local people, and local people help their friends So, when these students are not here, local people and other organizations can still enjoy their service.
Li-an Chang: At first, there were only five classmates doing this project. Step by step, we found other 8 volunteers, 8 school juniors from different departments volunteering there in Mae Sot. Last year, seven volunteers are from different universities. These years, there are an increase of more than 10 volunteers.
And volunteers this relayed to another. It lasts 1 month, 3 months or even 1 year at Mae Tao Clinic to do extended e-services.
張里歐 Changleo 