Myanmar: 4 little stories about better life
Usage of fly proof latrine
- © by: CARE International
A fly-proof latrine built by community at Pone Khu village.
Ma Mu Kat lives in Pone Khu village, which consists of 35 households. Before CARE, there were four toilets in the whole village. Every year children would die from diarrhea and malaria; without ever accessing a health facility. Ma Mu Kat had no latrine and wasn't aware that flies could cause diarrhea. One of her siblings died as a result of diarrhea. Like other villagers Ma Mu Kat received health education from village health volunteers (VHV) when CARE came to her community. Now everyone in the village uses latrines and diarrhea rates have decreased significantly. However, due to the insufficient amounts of water, villagers use open pit latrines and lime and ash to protect against the bad smell. Ma Mu Kat said that in her village, the rate of mortality of children is down to zero. Village health teams continue to monitor the village health status and conditions.
Mosquito nets against malaria
- © by: CARE International
A health volunteer demonstrates how to use the impregnated mosquito net effectively.
Every year during the rainy season U Htay Reh from Kunna Village got sick when he had to go to his fields for work. As a result of continuous sickness he wasn't able to work well. When he first heard about the distribution of mosquito nets he did not want to use one as he thought that this was not necessary. One day, in the village meeting, he was informed about the risks of malaria and discussed the issue with the village health volunteer (VHV). He was further motivated to use a net due to its cheap price. The VHV explained to him that CARE was providing the net for free to the village health team who were selling them at a low cost in order to establish a health fund. After using the net, he realized that he was not suffering from fever (malaria). He was happy and encourages his family to use the net. He now actively participates in the impregnation of mosquito nets.
Home gardening and extra money
- © by: CARE International
The water supply system enables plantation and thereby extra money.
Daw Tee Na from Kayan Thar Yar village is a poor widow. She has two daughters and one son and due to poverty, was unable to send her children to school. She had no land and had to work in the upland area, 10 miles from her village using slash and burn shifting agriculture. Due to the scarcity of water in her village she was not able to grow plants in her backyard. She constantly had to borrow money, and lived in debt. However since the gravity flow water supply system was introduced, she has been able to grow 18 plants and now earns approximately 5,000 Kyats per week selling betel leaf. With this extra money Daw Tee Na is now able to send her son to school. Other poor families have observed this transformation and now also cultivate backyard gardens and get extra money from its cultivation and sale.
Prospering pig husbandry
- © by: CARE International
U Maung Kut caretaking of his pigs.
U Maung Kut is living in Dau Ta Say village. He has four children and owns one acre of land on which he grows paddy and groundnut. His yields were low and not enough for his family to survive on. U Maung Kut decided to attend the training, "Pig breeding and vaccination training" organized by CARE. His knowledge on pig husbandry increased and by linking with the livestock department he started breeding pigs systematically with support from CARE. After nine months, 10 piglets were born. He sold 8 piglets and was able to pay for cross-breeding. He was also able to give half of his profit to the technical management committee to establish a fund to buy pigs. He sold another piglet and bought food for his pigs and continued his multiplication system. He is now the owner of 17 pigs. The estimated value of the pigs is nearly six hundred thousand Kyats.
Austrian Development Cooperation supports this CARE project within the framework of EU cofinancing.
