Two retired nurses from Gibsons will bring aid to the orphans of Burma this November as they take their sixth trip to Southeast Asia to bring medical supplies, money and hope to orphaned children in the area. But this three-week trip into Southeast Asia's poorest nation is not without risk for retired nurses Wendy Bodt and Deirdre Pearson.
The two ladies have seen a lot of pain and destruction during their years in the area ruled by a militant army that has held the Democratic Party leader hostage since she was voted into power in 1990.
Burma is the site of one of the world's longest civil wars and a brutally repressive regime that has proven it will imprison or kill anyone who rises against it.
"It's really a horrible situation over there but the army makes sure that no reports of what's going on there are released and the media who live there are too frightened to say anything," said Pearson.
Reports of the Burma Army burning down villages are not uncommon and males from these villages are often drafted into the army against their will or killed while females are usually raped and killed. "In one village the army came in and demanded everyone find seven rats each. Then they took those rats and put them in the water upstream so that the water in the village would be diseased," said Bodt.
The long-standing civil war has taken its toll on the people of Burma and children are often left as orphans for various reasons.
"AIDS really runs rampant over there but the military refuses to let anyone test for it so they say it's not a problem," said Bodt.
Many children are orphaned when their caregiver dies as a result of illness or one of the military raids, but Bodt notes children are also given up by their families because they cannot afford to care for them.
"It is a very, very poor country. Many people work for the equivalent of a dollar a day," said Bodt.But, she notes, a dollar goes a long way in Burma.
"For just five cents you could buy a notebook for school or five pens or a huge bundle of vegetables," said Bodt.
Over the years Bodt and Pearson have traveled to different orphanages in Southeast Asia to bring in medical supplies and money to build shelters and purchase things like generators to provide power to the buildings.
"It is cheaper to buy things in Burma and we can't really bring building supplies over on the plane," said Bodt, who added she and Pearson are each allowed to bring 50 pounds of luggage on the aircraft. "So this year we're mostly bringing dehydrated food and some school supplies and little presents for the children."
The money Pearson and Bodt bring over must then be converted to jats, which Pearson says is a challenge in itself.
"The government exchange rate is different than the black market rate so we have to buy our money on the black market to get a good deal," said Pearson.
She and Bodt are old hats now at the black market trade which needs to be called upon for most things in Burma.
"Even gasoline is sold on the black market because you can only have one litre a day. You stop in the middle of nowhere and a guy comes running out of the bush with a jerry can and you quickly give him your money, he fills up your car and he runs back into the bush," said Pearson.
Knowing the way things work and who to trust can be difficult in Burma, but Pearson and Bodt have made some friends in the area and they always travel with a guide.
"This time there will be a young man meeting us and he'll stay with us for the entire time we're there," said Bodt.
The women are planning to travel to an orphanage in Burma called the Colorful Flower Garden on Nov. 1 where orphans are eagerly awaiting new sleeping quarters that will be built with the money Pearson and Bodt bring over.
"We talked with the man who runs the orphanage and right now the kids are sleeping in a lean-to so he sent us some plans for some sleeping quarters and we have enough money to buy all of the materials needed," said Bodt.
They will also spend their time encouraging the children at the orphanage who range in age from newborns to 18-year-olds.
"They are the most beautiful children. They melt your heart," said Bodt.
Bodt and Pearson have already received files on the children they are going to meet in Burma.
One seven-year-old boy was sold to a bar by his uncle when his mother and father died.
Another one-and-a-half year old was brought into the orphanage by a neighbour and treated for tapeworm and tuberculosis. Now the baby weighs 15 pounds and is just starting to walk.
Pearson and Bodt will do medicals on all the children and then take pictures of them to include with their files for the next group of volunteers who come to the orphanage.
Their stay at the Colorful Flower Garden is being set-up by the Seeds of Hope Society, which brings in groups of volunteers and medical staff to Burma sporadically during the year.
In 1998 Bodt and Pearson had their first trip with the society to help AIDS orphans in Thailand. The women spent 12 hours a day caring for babies afflicted with AIDS.
"It was just exhausting, but also rewarding to have that hands-on care with the babies," said Bodt.
The next year Bodt and Pearson decided to help again and Pearson says working with the children, "is so rewarding. You just get hooked."
Every year Pearson and Bodt put on a huge garage sale to fund their work with various orphanages through the Seeds of Hope Society.
They also run a yearly bottle drive that brings in over $1,000 for the orphans and this year the fundraising efforts total about $4,300.
"We would like to sincerely thank the community for all their help and support over the years," said Bodt.
She and Pearson are hopeful they can continue their efforts in Burma in the future, but they say it's getting harder and harder to get into the country.
"We don't know how long we'll be able to get in. We were told they're conscripting the older boys into the military and they are going to declare the nation Buddhist and close all the Christian orphanages," said Bodt adding, "we'll keep going though until we can't go any more. These kids are not adoptable and they can't get out of the country so we need to bring the help to them."
If you would like to help you can contact Pearson at 604-886-2196 or Bodt at 604-886-8076. The women are still taking donations of bottles and cans for their trip and would welcome other donations for the children in Burma.
