Me, the principal (on the right) and a senior tutor (on the left)
I want to start by telling you about a brave lady whom I am honoured to work alongside. The principal of this college continually impresses me, she is an incredibly strong and formidable woman. Without her help and support I would not be racing towards my targets at such a speed.
When I started the principal didn’t seem fully engaged in the project, and I knew that my predecessor had a similar issue. Though the principal cared about the college you could always see that she was distracted.
A short while into my placement, the principal’s brother and father very sadly passed away. She was devastated, and during this time I got to know her a little better. Her father and brother had both been diagnosed with a terminal illness and for the last couple of years caring for them was her focus. During that time, she simply didn’t have the headspace for anything else. Since their death she has thrown herself into VSO’s work with a vengeance.
Now, despite her sadness, she has become incredibly enthusiastic about implementing changes that will benefit the college and community as a whole. She has been so supportive of me and my work, and we get on so well. I know that some are apprehensive of her, as she can be stern, but that comes from her passion for the college.
Principal’s project
One of the principal’s recent projects has been to help midwifery tutors improve their English. When teaching something as critical as neonatal healthcare, a working knowledge of our language is imperative. A lot of medical texts are in English, and though translations can be procured, it is more accurate to use the original. Some of the tutors here can read and write in English, but few can speak it. Through her local church our principal has managed to arrange an English teacher to visit each week. These sessions are doing wonders, those who previously did not have the confidence to speak in English are now constantly coming up to me to practice. It’s helped me build far stronger relationships with all the teachers, which I am very grateful for as it makes my work that much easier.
The principle working hard on new projects
Taunggyi Midwifery School
Do you remember me mentioning that I was planning visits to a couple of other midwifery schools? Well last week I got to visit Taunggyi Midwifery School, which is in Shan state near Inle Lake. My trip went really well, and I found the whole experience incredibly rewarding.
What was beneficial, was that the project in this school started and finished a few months earlier than ours. This means I got a sneak peek at how the schools manage after the VSO volunteer leaves. I have to say I was impressed to see how sustainable these projects are. The staff were all still incredibly motivated and working hard to continue improving lessons.
I spoke to their tutors and asked them what made the project a success, it really cheered me to hear them say that it was due to all the training they had received. Being coached and mentored by the VSO volunteers had given them skills that they now used to continue to push towards a better health care system in Myanmar.
Of course, all the schools and colleges we work in are different. We may share the same objectives and goals, and follow a similar framework but results vary. For example, there are 240 students at my college, and only 120 at Taunggyi, exactly half. Not only do they have fewer students, but also a smaller ratio between teachers and pupils. On top of this there are many physical differences between schools that effect the ways they work. All of these factors play a part in the progress that can be made and the approach us volunteers should take.
Training a midwices will save lives- this is why VSO is so important
Finally, I could see a major factor that played a part in their success; the sense of achievement. I could see it on each of the teachers’ faces. Taking on this new professional practice obviously motivated them. And now they had gotten past the leg work in the early stages they could see their lives becoming easier. I was repeatedly told that they could really feel the benefits as the college became more organised and ran more smoothly.
Thank you,
This just goes to show the long term impact of VSO, which is only possible because of people like you. I have to say it is a real nice boost to know that you are out there supporting what I am doing, thank you!
Best wishes,
Carol
