Gracious Liveswww.graceworksmyanmar.org.au

Joining Hands, Joining Hearts

You will not read about her in glossy magazines or see her on CNN or featured in a documentary. That is because no-one really knows she exists. The few who do know her, owe their life to her, as she placed each one in her heart and called them her own. Each child she took added to the growing pressure of her little household where the only surety was the unfailing devotion and love that ensured another lost orphan had found a home.

This household is very different to most as there is no regular income and food sometimes has to be rationed to one or two meals a day.

Day after day, year after year she rises early to start the morning chores. There is no stove, no oven and the fry pan and toaster cannot be found. A small fire is lit and a hotplate is precariously placed above it to boil the water and cook whatever can be found to eat for

the day. The dishwasher, the washing machine and the dryer all live in a different world, one that has no place in this home filled joy and happiness. The house is a buzz of activity as the first

Hidden Voices, Hidden Livesof the children greet the day and each other with an enthusiasm that somehow says this home is a special place. They

file pass the food on offer, a small portion of rice that

leaves their bowl half empty, but it will be enough to strengthen them for the day ahead.

May May and her orphan children

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GraceWorks Myanmar is a Christian based organisation and functions according to Christian principles and ethics.

2011, 1st Edition

From the Chairman’s Desk

Dear Friends,There is a well-known saying that goes,

“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, but teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime”

This simple statement is what GW is really all about.

Education and knowledge is everything. It is very easy to give money and resources without accountability. Incredible amounts of money have poured into third world countries, given for all the right reasons such as a desire to alleviate poverty and save starving children from all kinds of perilous circumstances.

The great challenge however is to direct and manage funds and resources into development and educational training that will empower families and individuals to create self-sustaining incomes.

The GW model is based on the principle that unaccountable giving and handouts simply do not produce permanent change but rather generates a welfare mentality among its recipients. We only have to observe the welfare system in our own country to understand the fragility of such a system. Sadly many well intended groups have fallen into the trap of giving out of emotion and pity to the exclusion of the long term benefit of development training through education.

The starting point for our model is in developing community changes through strategic planning and profiling. This process involves the members of the community who are encouraged to participate in the planning process.

The disadvantaged and poor are desperate to learn and have the opportunity to create and achieve, which is a basic right that every person should be given. Unaccountable giving is the enemy of development. Money alone cannot produce sustainable long term outcomes, but through education and vocational training, skills and talents can be nurtured and matured. Our microfinance project has shown that the most impacting result is the increase in the confidence and self-esteem of people, when they realise they can achieve and create their own futures without relying on handouts.

Many have declared they no longer believe they are poor as they are able to provide food and care for their families through their own sustainable projects. Perhaps the most impacting result of the development model is the increase of self-worth in the people as they can begin to plan their future with confidence and hope. The GW microfinance model provides free medical care for every family who receives a development loan. This aspect of our model is a wonderful bonus for our recipients as many are in rural areas where there is little or no medical facilities.

Many thanks for the continued support from our teams of volunteers and workers in Australia and Myanmar.

Peter SimmonsChairman & Founder of GraceWorks Myanmar

Peter Simmons is an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.

They eat with a gratitude and appreciation that is lost on those of us who have three full meals a day, with an array of choices and varieties of culinary delights that these children will never see. Yet their joy and zeal for fun and laughter is not curtailed by what they eat or what they possess but rather from what they have gained from this special lady they call “May May”.

Impending disaster recently visited this family when Mother was threatened with a sickness that slowly weakened her physically to the point that she could no longer carry on. All that remained in this crisis was the resilience of the children and their love for Mother. That was all that mattered to the family as each one assumed responsibilities that no child should have to carry in a decent caring world. In this world there are no children’s rights, no welfare and a health system that is tragically inadequate.

The potentially disastrous outcome of Mother not returning to full health and assuming her critical role of caregiver was averted as she received hospital and ongoing medical care through the financial generosity of her friends.

But this story does not end here.

The family has started a business activity that is now providing sustainable income as the older children have seized the opportunity to provide for and nurture their own.

For this is a new day, a new opportunity, where hope is restored and children can dream, and sing, and draw, and play with a freedom that is the right of every child. As Mother smiles upon and draws strength from her children perhaps there is another story that should be told, one that will tell us about her unselfish courage and strength in bringing hope to those who have none.

Mother and her family would love to meet you. She welcomes every GW team with an enthusiasm and joy that immediately tells you that you are her friend. The children eagerly await every visit. You can meet this amazing family on a GW trip.

Peter SimmonsChairman & Founder of

GraceWorks Myanmar

Peter is currently studying his Masters in

International and Community Development at

Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.

Hidden Voices Hidden Lives page 1

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GraceWorks Myanmar has recently been approved and accepted as a signatory to the

ACFID code of conduct

Congratulations to the team from Arta Travel winners of this years golf tournament.

Another great day brought together many of our wonderful corporate and individual supporters who have made our golf day a feature of GW fundraising.

Thank you to the staff at Ringwood Golf Club for their assistance and support in making this day such a success.

Special guest this year was Mr Victor Minus who is our GW representative in Myanmar. Victor combined the golf with a full itinerary visiting GW support groups around the country.

Money raised: $6800.00Please make a note in your diary for next years event:

Monday 27th February 2012

One of our childrens homes with the aid of an Australian Government DAP (Direct Aid Program) grant recently completed the building of a new kitchen facility as an extension to the dining room. The new kitchen will enable staff to conduct cooking classes and a food technology course for the older children.

GW thanks Joanne Kazmarick from the Embassy for her continued support and encouragement to our GW staff.

And the Winner is...

A New Kitchen

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Arta Travel Team - Tom McIntyre, Simon Murray, Keith Shoesmith, Marc Campbell

New cooking facilities

The new kitchen building

A Taste of Spain at Rocky Passes Estate

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Rocky Passes winery was the venue of GraceWorks’ first fund raiser for the year on Saturday 5 February. Rocky Passes is a boutique, family run winery 16 km outside Seymour, in country Victoria. A happy group of about 50 people enjoyed a relaxing afternoon sipping award winning wines, and dining on a four course Spanish meal, inspired by the Argentine-born owner. Pouring rain did not dampen the spirits of those who attended, which included several inter-state travellers. A large but cosy cellar provided a nice venue for the afternoon.

Peter Simmons, chairman of GraceWorks, gave a short presentation on GraceWorks’ activities in Myanmar, which included a background on the Myanmar culture and political scene. He spoke about the various educational and medical programs GraceWorks conducts in Myanmar, and how much work still needs to be done for villagers living in outlying, rural areas. We were told of village children whose lives have been (and could have been) saved as a result of receiving simple medical care, such as antibiotics.

Warmly welcomed was Victor Minus, who drives a van for GraceWorks which delivers medical supplies to villages, and ferries sick villagers to hospitals many kilometres away. Because of his understanding of the local language, Victor serves as an interpreter for GraceWorks. He is able

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Sto negotiate with military personnel at various road side check points, and also liaise with government officials. Because village roads in Myanmar are rough and muddy, the van Victor drives gets a constant workout, even though it is old and could have been retired to the scrap yard long ago. Such is the importance of the van in carrying out GraceWorks’ activities, the purchase of a “new” second hand van is now a priority.

Miranda, who visited Myanmar last year as part of a GraceWorks tour group, spoke of her satisfaction in being able to help with delivering “services” to rural villages. Although not a medical practitioner or trained teacher, she was able to read to children who are learning English, and she encouraged anyone who is

interested to join a GraceWorks tour group in a volunteer capacity. She said that everybody, irrespective of their skills and training, has something worthwhile to offer villagers, and their presence is much appreciated.

Special thanks to Victor and Candi Oles the wonderful hosts at Rocky Passes. They visited Myanmar with GW in 2010.

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EDU

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Education remains one of GraceWorks’ highest priorities. Education and training empowers people, regardless of age, to escape chronic poverty and to develop independent and fulfilling lives. It builds self-esteem and gives them the necessary skills to find meaningful employment or to generate income.

GWM supports four pre-schools in the greater Yangon area and one in Mandalay. At one of these pre-schools several of the older orphan girls are employed as teachers’ assistants. These centres provide valuable early childhood education for youngsters prior to the commencement of school.

English and computer classes are running at two GraceWorks education centers in Yangon. Over the last few months, visitors from Australia, England, Israel and Singapore have volunteered their time to assist with English language classes at both of these centres. Two students from Queensland University spent several weeks teaching English for GraceWorks during their Christmas break.

Special holiday programs are offered during the three-month summer period when schools in Myanmar are closed. These classes are attended by local children and by some of the students from our GWM children’s homes.

Sewing and design classes are conducted at our sewing center in Yangon and recently the students there have expanded their range to include various home wares.

Other vocational training programs are on-going. Some of the school leavers are undertaking training in farming and animal husbandry while others have been engaged in training in mechanics and panel-beating. One of our GWM volunteers has recently spent time expanding our I.T. programs and another conducted a series of carpentry classes over the Christmas period.

One of the communities supported by GWM has begun producing soy milk. The milk is given to the children as an additional source of protein and surplus is sold to provide extra income. The opening of a shop (to distribute the soy milk) and bakery has provided an opportunity for students to learn

What we are doing in Education

Building teacher Doug Hancock from Melbourne conducting a carpentry class

I.T. consultant Steve Polgar from Melbourne

not only conducts computer classes but

repairs them as well

valuable business management and marketing skills as well as specific production techniques. The trainees will ultimately take full control of this enterprise.

GWM will continue to offer short courses and workshops to complement these existing programs. Workshops covering topics such as preventative health, early childhood development, business management and teamwork have already been conducted. These have had a noticeable impact on the participants and have made a positive contribution to our aim of poverty alleviation and capacity building amongst the poorest communities in Myanmar.

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As recent global events have demonstrated only too well, financial institutions matter. The source of problems and instability when they are poorly regulated (or simply when human greed becomes too insatiable), financial institutions are also critical for economic development. As the noted financial historian Niall Ferguson writes in his recent book, The Ascent of Money, the creation of financial institutions ‘has been as vital as the advance of science or the spread of law in mankind’s escape from the drudgery of subsistence agriculture and the misery of the Malthusian trap’(2008, p.342). Given the importance then of financial institutions in promoting economic growth and development, a question that might reasonably be asked is; what is the state of Burma’s financial sector? One of the poorest countries on earth, an exploration into the state of Burma’s financial institutions might allow us some insight into the reasons for its current poverty, and perhaps even give us some answers as to how progress might take place. Undertaking such an exploration is the subject of this brief article.

Some BackgroundBurma presents one of best examples historically of the transformational power of finance. Under British colonial rule (the country was brought into the British Empire via successive wars across the nineteenth century) Burma emerged as the world’s largest rice exporter courtesy of the bringing into cultivation of vast tracts of prime rice-growing land in the Irrawaddy Delta. This land, much of which hitherto was little more than swamp, was transformed by the application of credit provided by the Chettiar moneylenders of southern India, and surplus labour that moved down from a stagnant economy in upper Burma. The Chettiars had followed the British Empire into Burma from the 1850s, and quickly established themselves throughout the Delta. Their loan ‘products’ were ideally designed to meet the needs of rice cultivators, and in the end they probably brought into Burma as much financial capital as all other sources combined during the British colonial years (effectively 1850-1948). The Chettiars also functioned

as conduits via which ‘western’ capital (mostly supplied by the great British exchange banks – such as the still-existing HSBC and Standard Chartered) also permeated through rural Burma.

Of course, the impact of the Chettiars was not totally benign. The very fact that they were foreign caused resentment, even in good times, but this generated into outright and visceral hostility during the Great Depression of the 1930s. With the arrival of the Depression (and, being a commodity producer, Burma suffered terribly in these years) the virtues of Burma’s rural financial arrangements (foreign capital backed by imported British land title laws) turned into a political vice as large swathes of the Delta fell into the hands of the Chettiars and others as collateral. This was a trigger for great political unrest, and a particular flash point for Burma’s growing independence movement. By the outset of the Second World War, about a quarter of all of Burma’s prime rice growing land was in the hands of the Chettiars, and another 25% was in the hands of other non-cultivators.

The British attempted to counter many of these problems by creating nationwide ‘cooperative credit’ schemes (similar in some ways to modern microfinance, but missing some key methodologies). These proved unsuccessful, and most Burmese cultivators saw the loans from cooperative credit societies as little more than ‘cash grants’ that did not need to be repaid. Most cooperative societies were headed by British colonial officials, and they were never able to establish themselves as grass-roots organisations in which members ever felt they had any stake.

Burma was invaded by Japan in World War 2, and the country’s rural financial system collapsed. The Chettiars fled the country (many dying in the terrible marches out of Burma and up into India), and a scorched earth policy was applied by the evacuating British. The Japanese created a number of financial institutions during their occupation years (1942-1945), but these were designed as little more than vehicles to extract for Japan’s war effort as much raw materials as possible, and at least cost. The Japanese introduced an occupation currency that, issued in vast volumes, quickly became worthless (but which

Burmese farmers were forced to accept). Trust in monetary institutions in all forms evaporated. Burma was retaken by allied forces in 1945, after heavy and bitter fighting. The British ruled again for an ‘interregnum’ (1945-48), during which time they attempted to rehabilitate Burma’s financial system. They also brought monetary stability back via a currency board, the creation and management of which had substantial Burmese input.

Burma achieved independence in 1948 and immediately set about creating viable financial institutions – the centrepiece of which was the ‘State Agricultural Bank’ (SAB), but some new and genuinely Burmese private banks emerged too. Similar to many such institutions created in former colonial territories, the SAB was more successful than most state-owned agricultural banks – and throughout its life enjoyed high repayment/low default rates. It suffered from some of the familiar problems of such state institutions too, however, and was never really able to supply sufficient finance (though considerably more than its successors would). Burma’s parliamentary democracy years (1948-1962) were dominated by governments of a mildly socialistic hue (not unlike those of Nehru in India), and were much taken with ‘planning’. Capitalism was strongly associated with imperialism at this time in Burma, and though private businesses were allowed to flourish, foreign banks were made to feel unwelcome. The Chettiars were likewise not encouraged to return.

In economic terms, Burma did reasonably well in its parliamentary democracy years. Not as well as some may have hoped to be sure, but well enough (and better by far than most post-colonial countries). All of this, however, came to a grinding halt in 1962 when General Ne Win took power in a coup. More or less instantaneously Burma then engaged in a vast experiment – the ‘Burmese Way to Socialism’ in which much economic activity, including the most humble (village shops for instance) became a part of the State apparatus. In terms of financial institutions the effects were profound – and profoundly destructive. All banks were nationalised, and then subsequently merged into a great monolith, the

FEATURE

Burma’s Financial & Banking SystemBy Dr Sean Turnell

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‘Peoples’ Bank of the Union of Burma’. This included the old SAB. By then, however, bank-provided rural credit was on its way out anyway, as the State gave priority (then exclusivity) to ‘advance purchase’ as the vehicle for the provision of rural finance. Soon this turned into an engine of mass rural exploitation, as State-enforced procurement was undertaken at prices paid to farmers that diverged further and further away from market prices, and even costs of production. By the mid 1980s the implicit ‘charge’ imposed by the State for advance purchase amounted to several thousand percent per annum. The situation of the Burmese cultivator was now dire, and agricultural production (especially of rice) shrank dramatically. Burma no longer figured as a prominent rice exporter.

Banking Today In the tumultuous events of 1988-90, a new version of military rule in Burma (ultimately known as the State Peace and Development Council [SPDC]) emerged with a policy of bringing a market-based economy back to Burma. Laws were passed in 1990 allowing private enterprise again, and even some foreign investment. On the rural finance front, the great monolithic Peoples’ Bank was broken up, out of which was recreated a new state-owned agricultural bank, the ‘Myanmar Agricultural Development Bank’ (MADB). Together with the Myanmar Economic Bank (MEB, the primary state-owned ‘general’ banking institution), the MADB was meant to then form the main vehicle for the provision of rural and other finance. The 1990 reforms allowed the formation of domestic private banks too, and within a short few years there were 20 of these. Many, alas, would prove to be unviable institutions of questionable practices (many were little more than ‘treasuries’ of connected conglomerates, some were simple ponzi or pyramid schemes, and some were outfits through which Burma’s narcotics-producing syndicates could launder their money), and they were swept away in a banking crisis that convulsed Burma in 2003. Only a few private banks function today in Burma, the most prominent of which (and whose signs and shopfronts are familiar sights in Rangoon and some of the other major cities, if not in rural

areas) are the Yoma Bank, Kanbawza Bank and the Myawaddy Bank. In 2010 four new banks (the Asia Green Development Bank, Ayerwaddy Bank, Amara Bank and Shay Saung Bank - the first created since the early 1990s reforms) were given banking licences.

There are many unnecessary regulatory restrictions and prohibitions that greatly inhibit the development of banking in Burma. Some of these include:

A ban on private commercial banks lending to farmers and cultivators.

A cap on the interest rate that banks can pay on deposits and charge on loans of 12 and 17% respectively. Such rates are well below the rates of inflation that have typically prevailed in Burma, and have created a system of credit rationing and other distortions as a result.

A ban on the provision of uncollateralised credit by Burma’s banks. All loans must be backed by real estate or a fixed deposit account to a value that is at least 100% of the credit advanced. Of course, this requirement excludes most poorer borrowers.

A ban (in place since Burma’s banking crisis of 2003) on banks receiving ‘at call’ deposits.

A prohibition against the accumulation of interest beyond the principal of a loan. This has the effect of ruling out banks making long-term loans (such as those that elsewhere are standard for home mortgages), for consumers and businesses alike.

Given the above, and along with Burma’s macroeconomic instability and the near-complete lack of the necessary institutional and legal infrastructure necessary for a functioning banking system, it will be of no surprise to the reader that Burma’s banks are essentially moribund institutions that perform a very limited role in the economy. The vast majority of people in Burma have no ready access to a bank (there are less than a thousand bank branches in Burma [compared to around 7,000 in neighbouring Thailand], and most of these are concentrated in urban centres), and so very few have a bank account. Most people in Burma do not trust banks, with many wealthier citizens having lost money during the country’s 2003 banking crisis, and all are wary of Burma’s long history

of deposit freezes, ‘demonetisation’ episodes, and other monetary depredations. It is almost impossible for consumers to borrow for any purpose from a bank, and most people rely (as they have always done) on informal moneylenders to meet their credit needs – often suffering under usurious interest rates (10 to 20% per month being typical) as a consequence.

MicrofinanceThere are several microfinance institutions (MFIs) in operation in Burma. Most are small, and adjuncts to the activities of various international NGOs. However, there are three very large MFIs (centred in the Irrawaddy Delta, the ‘Dry Zone’ of Burma near Mandalay, and in the Shan State) that are run by the US NGO ‘PACT’ (on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme) that hold particular promise. Collectively these schemes have around 300,000 members, and have disbursed loans of about $10 million. They employ the methodology (such as ‘group lending’) made famous by the Grameen Bank.

MFIs – as institutions that focus upon the poor, the ‘unbanked’, and which are especially adept at ‘challenging’ environments, are ideal for Burma. At present, however, they are greatly inhibited in performing a broader role due to a number of factors, including inappropriate government regulations (such as those above), and an ambiguous legal standing. In order to play the role that they can, greater change and reform in Burma will be necessary. In the meantime, important foundations can be laid by groups such as Grace Works via its own efforts on microfinance and other projects. There is much to be done to restore hope and prosperity to Burma, but the likes of Grace Works are helping to get the ball rolling.

Dr Sean Turnell is an economist at Macquarie University, Sydney.He is the editor of Burma Economic Watch an authoritive publication on the economic and financial system in Burma. (www.burmawatch.com)

For a comprehensive overview of Burma’s financial systems GW commends Dr Turnell’s latest book: Fiery Dragons - “Banks, Moneylenders and Microfinance in Burma”.

Dr Turnell is a consultant to GWM.

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What we are doing in Microfinance

Community Profiling and Strategic Planning

These children can now enjoy

preschool through a microfinance loan

Taxi service with a scooter bike

including the ability and motivation of the lender to tailor the program to suit the needs and interests of those they intend to reach.

There is no doubt that finance accessed by the poor leads to increased self-esteem and empowerment by assisting them to achieve greater economic independence and security.

Our microfinance development program is growing through sustainable projects that have changed the recipient’s and their families standard of living forever. No development project has had such a profound influence among the poor economies than microfinance.

Over the past 2 years GW has been piloting microfinance in 2 areas, where people were living in chronic poverty. The challenge has been to produce a model that is workable by achieving a balance between what the poor can afford but at the same time be self-sustaining.

Once the borrower receives a loan they must attend regular financial management and business training classes facilitated by GW staff. Many of the loan recipients, particularly those in remote rural areas are illiterate and have never had an opportunity to earn an income. Microfinance does not automatically empower people or promote them to a status afforded to the more affluent in a community; however what it does do is provide a range of possibilities rather than guarantee a set of predetermined outcomes. The success of these possibilities is determined by a host of factors and complexities

As GW expands its community development into areas of chronic poverty new challenges continue emerge and GW must respond in a culturally and effective manner. GW had begun to utilize community profiling techniques and tools to assist in the development of these areas and most importantly provide village members with the opportunity to provide input and direction into the development of their community.

GW recently began this process in a very poor village by inviting local community members to participate in the process. The starting point was to have the community, including the children draw pictures of what they would like their village to look like. Drawing pictures is a very achievable exercise as many of the poor are illiterate, but are able to contribute through drawing. They embraced the challenge with amazing enthusiasm, as they realized their opinions and ideas are very important in the development of their village. Their self-esteem and confidence was boosted as they felt valued and acknowledged in the process.

The next stage was to collate the data presented as each drawing was

explained to the group by the drawer. The data is then processed through the following questions: What resources already exist in our community?What does our community need?Where does our community want to be in three or five years time?How are we going to get there?How do we build sustainability into our plans?What issues and problems need to be resolved?

This process not only involves the community but enables the provider to work in harmony with the members of that community to achieve long term goals through strategic planning.

This process can also be applied to individuals who can use these same questions to develop a personal plan to set goals.

It is so easy to overlook the fact that even the poor have some assets. These assets may be small and seemingly insignificant but they are important to those who own them and should be included in the planning process.

Our research has shown that the concerns of the poor fall into the three areas of the GW model being education, generating income (microfinance) and medical.

Sewing classes

Bakers delight

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HEA

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What we are doing in Health

KBC Hospital Visit

Health Care Training

Over the past year GW has become involved in providing medical care to very poor communities. This initiative has been a result of the wonderful support of Associate Professor Bruce and Dr Joyce Connolly from Sydney, Australia. Dr Joyce conducted a medical seminar for women in October covering subjects such as health, hygiene and basic medical care. In February they conducted further clinics and a training seminar for health care workers. Complimenting their support has been Professor Saw Simon Thar, a Myanmar (Tayin) neuro-surgeon based in Yangon. Professor Simon’s is legendary throughout Myanmar where he is acclaimed for his skill and courage. His work is recognized around the world as he conducts delicate surgery in an operating theatre

in a converted bus. The bus has an X-Ray machine and a small operating table. Professor Simon travels to remote areas around the country reaching people who would otherwise have no opportunity to see a surgeon.He is currently overseeing the construction of a six storey hospital in Yangon which will offer medical care, surgery, maternity ward and also include an emergency department. GW will have use of the facility to provide medical care to a greater number of people from poor communities through our relationship with Professor Simon. The hospital will also be utilized by Australian medical teams including doctors, nurses and post-operative support workers such

as physiotherapists and occupational therapists to work in a challenging foreign field. Our teams will also be able to offer support to the patients and families while they are in hospital by providing gifts and food parcels.The new hospital will be officially opened in June 2011. If you would like to know more about our medical faculty in Yangon or would like to enquire about being part of a medical trip please send GW an email, info@graceworksmyanmar.org.au

During our Christmas trip our team of ladies led by Margaret Simmons visited the Karen Baptist Convention Hospital. They distributed gifts and provided pastoral care to the families in the maternity section of the hospital. This visit was a wonderful opportunity for our team to offer some essential items for the mothers to take home with their babies as they have little resources and funds of their own.

Associate Professor Bruce Conolly and his wife Dr Joyce visited Yangon in March conducting further training with doctors, nurses and health care workers. This trip they held clinics in the rural areas where often there is no health service.We are honoured to have such committed and passionate people assist in the development of GraceWorks health services.

Dr Joyce writes:Myanmar has one of the highest death rates of mothers and babies during childbirth in the world; 42% of mothers in labour having no trained person attending their delivery; and this % increases in country areas where there are no doctors, nurses or hospitals.My aim therefor was to encourage and teach these Health Care Workers and Nurses, many of whom work

in the country areas, the importance of Ante Natal Care. I explained to them how they could run an Ante Natal Clinic with some knowledge and very little money, achieving an enormous improvement in the health of mothers and babies during pregnancy and childbirth.During one lecture while advising them how best to take a good history, I advised they should always enquire if their patients felt anxious or worried. I noticed one young woman fighting back the tears. She had lost many members of her family in Cyclone Nargis.I want all those in GraceWorks to know, that your interest and support to both my husband Bruce and

GW is in continuing discussions with the management of the hospital to assist in increasing the development of its resources and the facilitating of new equipment. The most urgent need is a new ambulance as the critically injured and dying are transported in the back of a utility. Thank you to the staff at KBCH for inviting our team.

myself, has been a great encouragement to us both. I personally have had the joy of seeing these young women change throughout the lectures, from being gaunt expressionless silent young women, to interactive excited people calling out answers and questions to. There will be many mothers who will thank you all.

KBC intensive care ambulance

Dr’s Bruce and Joyce Conolly at lunch with

the health care workers

T R A V E L P T Y L T D

After listening to Jenny Webb from Graceworks talk about Myanmar at our local Probus meeting, I just knew I had to visit this unique country. So in September 2010 with my daughter Bronwyn, I set off on a much-awaited adventure.

When people ask me how my trip to Myanmar went, I find it difficult to find words to describe it. The countryside was picturesque and classically Asia, the food was fantastic with lots of variety and the people were warm and welcoming - they know how to care, share, love and smile. They have

“The world is a book and those who stay at home only read one page.”– St Augustine

As I see it there are two types of 21st century explorers. There are the tourists who go to far flung places and expect everything to be like it is “at home”, but with just a touch of the exotic so they can entertain their friends and family on their return with tales of something different. And then there are the travellers who leave their homes with a sense of curiosity about the wider world and in the words of Mark Twain – Explore, Dream & Discover. If you are reading this and fall into the tourist category then you may have to adjust your levels of expectation a little if you want to enjoy Myanmar to the fullest. If you fall into the latter category…you’ll have a ball!Peter and I have travelled to Myanmar twice now and thoroughly enjoyed both experiences. Our first trip was September 2009 with four other fellow travellers on the Graceworks Travel inaugural Educational Tour. In effect

CONTACT DETAiLS:P.O. Box 245, Blackburn, 3130 VictoriaOffice: (03) 8802 5490Email: info@graceworkstravel.com

TRAVEL NEW

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A NewBeginningBy Joy Purcell

A Travellers TaleBy Pauline Roberts

individuals were treated and cared for by the children and adults alike.We also visited a school for disabled children where we watched a physiotherapist helping children with only a few pieces of basic equipment. Scenes like this really brought home to me just how fortunate we are in Australia.My visit to Myanmar has certainly had a huge impact on my life. I now want to help these beautiful people by raising money to buy rice for the hungry, to build bunk beds for the orphans and to buy specialist equipment for the disabled. The list could go on forever. It was so reassuring to see that the money raised by GraceWorks gets to the people who need it most. Visiting Myanmar and its people has given me the most fabulous overseas experience I have ever had. The fact that I shared it with my daughter makes it even more special. As an added bonus, I made wonderful new friends of the five others in the group.In October, I am returning to Myanmar to meet up with the beautiful children and adults who have become part of my life. Visiting Myanmar with GraceWorks is not a holiday – it is a unique travel experience that will change you forever.

nothing but they have everything.

Based in Yangon, we made daily trips to orphanages and schools both in the city and the surrounding countryside. To these we took food and fun activities to share with the children, with the hope that we would brighten their lives for a few hours. We found the children completely absorbed in whatever we had to say and do and full of laughs and smiles.

One particular orphanage we visited has had a profound effect on me. It cares for one hundred and eighty children who sleep four to a bed. The gorgeous man who runs this rural orphanage is a father figure to each of these beautiful children and his farm grows all the fruit and vegetables needed to feed his large family. Any surplus produce is sold at local markets and the money raised is used to buy rice and other essentials for the children. We had the privilege to spend two days at this inspiring orphanage. The children were happy, energetic and so eager to learn. They grasped our hands and hung around our neck, all seeking the love and comfort of family they had lost. This orphanage also cares for an elderly blind lady and a child who has suffered a severe brain injury. It was heart-warming to see the way these two

we were guinea pigs as last minute additions were added to the itinerary and plans altered slightly, depending on the daily political situation. The whole trip was quite fluid, as it was the first time such an experience had been offered, but we all arrived home two weeks later with an incredible insight into this fascinating country and its truly beautiful people.We met dedicated people who were passionate about bringing quality education to the next generation of Burmese children, be they orphans, disabled or separated from their parents. We also met the children. To say they were some of the most delightful kids that I have ever worked with, in thirty years of teaching, would be an understatement. They were the reason we came back.The second time we visited Myanmar was January 2011 and this time we stayed for a month which enabled us to get out and about and see the countryside as well as working with many students in both Nagpali and Yangon. As travellers we experienced things that tourists miss out on and some of them were certainly outside our comfort zones. However we learnt from each one and took away memories that can either be laughed over for many years to come or held onto as a

reminder as to just how good life is back here in Australia.If you can get over that fact that Burmese life isn’t as sanitised or as predictable as ‘home’ you will discover the most amazing sights and caring people. To go snorkelling in beautiful waters only to discover that there are biting sea lice can be balanced out by the delight apparent on the children’s faces when one of Peter’s science experiments literally “takes off”. ORTo be disappointed that the eagerly anticipated BBQ lunch on a beautiful sandy beach has, due to communication problems, morphed into a barefoot walk through one of Myanmar’s less salubrious villages can be traded off against reading to a bunch of appreciative orphans who make you feel like a bantam mother hen, with their heads popping up under you arms as they snuggle in to enjoy the magic of a good story.So… if you decide to travel to this spectacular country and meet its incredibly friendly and compassionate people may I suggest that you just “go with the flow”. Your willingness to experience whatever comes your way will be well rewarded and who knows you may even decide to come back for more!!

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Taking a trip with GraceWorks Travel is no ordinary travel experience. We offer flexible itineraries and encourage input from you within our tour framework. We will take you beyond the usual tourist circuit and into the hearts and lives of the Burmese people. Instead of ushering you from one designated tourist destination to another within a predetermined timetable, we will guide you to explore the local sites, making meaningful contact with the people around you. With our small groups and in-country contacts, GraceWorks Travel will give you the opportunity to exchange ideas

Graceworks Travel Dates for 2011 and 2012

and engage with local people and communities in a variety of contexts. We foster cultural awareness and sensitivity to the needs of others without sheltering you from the realities of life, so difficult for many in Myanmar.By visiting a number of GraceWorks’ projects, you will connect with the people and see how their lives have been transformed. You will meet children and adults who will truly inspire you. You will see first-hand how your donations have been able to bring lasting change to these children and communities and discover that you can make a real difference.

Compasssionate Tourism With Graceworks TravelBy Jenny Webb

GraceWorks Travel has pleasure in announcing the following tour dates. Limited spaces are still available for September and October, 2011. The scheduled tours are ideally suited to people restricted to school holiday periods, particularly teachers and parents with accompanying children. However, if you have a group of 6 or more, GraceWorks Travel can arrange tours at any time, tailored to your particular interests and requirements.

As a new initiative, GraceWorks Travel would like to invite school leavers in 2012 to consider a service project in Myanmar as an alternative to ‘schoolies week’. What better way to unwind after exams and to celebrate finishing school than by travelling to fascinating Myanmar to participate in one of the GraceWorks projects? This remarkable experience will be simultaneously challenging, immensely rewarding and surprisingly impacting. The memories will last a lifetime.

September, 201125th September-8th October, Yangon and Golden Rock. Tour leader: Peter Simmons and Jenny Webb.

October, 20118th October-24th October, Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay and Inle Lake. Tour leader: Jenny Webb

December, 2011Spend Christmas at one of the GraceWorks children’s homes.Tour leader: Peter Simmons.

January, 20123rd-24th January, Yangon and the beautiful Ngapali Beach. Tour leader: Jenny Webb

April,20121st-22nd April, experience the excitement of the annual Water Festival, or Thingyan.Tour leader: Jenny Webb

September / October, 201222nd September- 8th October. Tour leader: Jenny Webb

November, 201217th November- 7th December, a service project for school leavers. Tour leader: Jenny Webb

For more information, please see our website, www.graceworkstravel.com or telephone the GraceWorks office on (03) 8802 5490.

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