Special Gratitude Day in Myanmar
FMA communities in Myanmar celebrate
Gratitude Day
in solidarity with the Internally Displaced
Families in Kutkai & Muse’
This year’s celebration of Gratitude Day in Myanmar assumes a
different tone. On the 12th of January 2019 some members of the
Educating Community composed of 7 Sisters, 1 Lay collaborator, 1 pre-aspirant
and two young girls of the FMA communities visit the refugee camp in Kutkai.
This visit is part of the Provincial Gratitude Day in Myanmar which is aimed at
celebrating it in a more meaningful and significant way. It is realized as an
opportunity to share the experience of God’s providential care and love to our
presences in the Province with our suffering brothers and sisters who are
displaced because of the on-going civil war in Kachin State.
Through the
help and collaboration of Fr. Luigi, Director of KMSS (Karuna Myanmar Social
Service) of Lashio Diocese and Fr. Tino, Procurator of Lashio Diocese, the
group is able to connect with the 46 IDP’s in Kutkai and Muse’ and is hosted at
the Bishop’s residence. Fr. John Gam Seng (SDB) and another 2 laymen
accompanied the group to Kutkai for the distribution of the goods.
Though Kutkai
is relatively far from the FMA communities in Pyin Oo Lwin, this small town in
the Shan State of eastern central Myanmar is chosen to be the heart of our
gratitude day celebration. It is about 964 km from Yangon and 398.6 km. from
Pyin Oo Lwin. It takes around 9 hours by bus from Anisakan, Pyin Oo Lwin to
reach the place since the transport has to crossed several mountains. Kutkai is
a place near Muse’ which is bordering China. It is indeed a periphery that is
worth the attention of any group who wants to bring help to those who are in
need. There are 28 displaced families (135 people) in the camp which is inside
the compound of the Catholic Church. The families are Catholics from the Kachin
and Shan tribe. The head catechist, Saya Naung Latt who is assisting the
families, recounts that because of the fighting between the Burmese army and
the tribes’ army , many people flee from their own villages and find a place
for their temporary shelter in the town of Kutkai. It is far from their village
called Naung Phan which is about 15 km away from Kutkai. It has been 6 years that
the families are staying in the camp through the help and care of the Civil
Society Groups and local authorities. The KMSS charity group of Lashio and the
other NGO also provide support for their essential needs of housing, health
care and education. But, it is too little and cannot get enough for their
living. There are a big number of women and children staying in the camp. The
adults try to search for any work that they can find in order to provide
especially for the children and elderly. Finding themselves in such situation,
the children cannot study well and therefore discontinue their studies and
engage in work earning a minimal wage. In March the families will be relocated
to Gale Zup Aung, 14 km away from KutKai where, hopefully, they can start to rebuild
their lives.
It is
touching to see the eyes of the families: children, young people, elderly and
adults beaming with joy as they meet and endlessly thank the group for the
little items they receive out of the kindness of many people.
Indeed, God’s magnanimity and generosity are overwhelming that one
cannot contain it for oneself. The solidarity with the 46 IDP families from
Kutkai and Muse’ of the Diocese of Lashio is the Salesian Sisters’ concrete
gesture of recognizing and thanking the Lord for His immense goodness to His
people. The visit would not have been
possible without the help of our Singaporean friends from Project Kyrie who
quickly responded to the Sisters’ invitation to extend help to the IDPs.