 |
 |
 |
Above: Main road lined with school in Thik Pan Gone Gyi. i Love Myanmar team in distance |
 |  | |||||
 |
|
 | ||||
 |  |
| | ||
|
|
| |
| |
Location Thik Pan Gone Gyi is easily accessible form one of the medium sized rivers. Even large boats can travel up the river, making transportation easy, increasing the amount of exposure this village has to the outside world. With population at 1,718 it is a sizable village for this area and has several villages located close to it. Several villages send their children to attend middle and high school at Thik Pan Gone Gyi. |
Cyclone Nargis During the cyclone, the storm surge reached 12 ft in the village. Villagers describe the waves as those in the ocean and no land could be seen. It was the pounding of the waves that destroyed all but 6 of the 368 original houses. Over 160 lives were lost. Despite being a sizable number, percentage wise, it is lower than the fatalities of most villages in the surrounding area. After Nargis, the village head and pastor went to the nearby town Laputta and NGOs asking for help. |
Livelihood A strong NGO presence can be observed in this village. Merlin and one other NGO is stationed in this village as most choose locations that are relatively easy to access. Most villagers are living in temporary houses made out of wooden frames, canvas and whatever material they could salvage from their destroyed houses.
Farmers have received seeds from NGOs. As the storm surge swept inland from the ocean, a large amount of ocean mud was deposited in the fields, hence making them salty. Farmers noted that seeds sowed directly into fields with salty soil were not able to sprout while if seeds were allow sprouting first in fresh water and transplanted into affected fields, the rice plants were still able to grow. Garden vegetables on the other hand have been growing well as during the storm a great deal of waste was dispersed and decomposed, making the soil very fertile and yielding good garden vegetables. |
Right: House made from palm leaves |
Farmers lost over 200 buffaloes during the cyclone and only have 1 crippled buffalo left. Although they have received tractor equipment, the general consensus is that buffaloes work better as with logs in fields, tractors break down easily which require repair and not to mention diesel. Buffaloes on the other hand need only to feed on grass, are cheaper in cost, can work in fields with logs and if tied to a certain area, can clear an area for farming. Their waste also serves as good natural fertilizer. |
Food & Water Although their wells are not salty, however the water has become extremely hard and undrinkable. Attempts were made to dig new wells, however despite reaching depths of 750 ft, new wells failed to yield any water. Although NGO Merlin has a water purifier in the village, it is currently relying on rain water collected in makeshift collection tanks lined with NGO donated canvas. Water still remains to be a problem even with a water purifier as water is saline. NGOs ADRA and Merlin are distributing rice and beans to villagers. With a strong presence of NGOs, food supply should not Above: Rain water collected for drinking be a concern in this village. |
Above: Rain water collected for drinking |
School Thik Pan Gone Gyi has a sizable primary and middle school with 560 students and one of few high schools in this area which serves 160 students. During the cyclone, the school lost almost a third of its students. Many students come from neighboring villages to attend school. Those who live relatively close and can afford to pay 3,000 Kyets ( $ 3 USD) a month are driven to school by boat. Those who cannot afford it walk an hour a day to get to school. Those who live too far away live at boarding facilities provided by the village church. |
| One of the 4 school buildings collapsed while the remaining sustained moderate damage. Multiple broken windows can be seen and a few small sections where walls have collapsed have been covered up. However they appear to be still structurally sound. While primary to middle school (Grade 1-8) is provided by the government, high school (Grade 9-10) is not. Prior to the cyclone, tuition of high school students went to support the 5 high school teachers. However after the cyclone, where most families’ entire fortune were washed away, students are unable to pay tuition and hence tuition has been waved this year. Instead the village has tried to raise support through NGOs to pay the teachers. However, they have only been granted funds for 4 months. In order for tuition to remain free for students, additional funding is required for the remaining 6 months. Teachers are paid $ 50 USD a month each; a total of $ 1,500 USD will be required to support the teachers for half a year. As for education, i Love Myanmar believes it is a worthwhile cause supporting the 5 teachers at the high school. From an economic standpoint, it is highly attractive as I Love Myanmar will be supporting the education of 160 students at a cost of less than $ 10 USD per student for half a year’s schooling at a time when few can afford the tuition. | ||||||||||||||
Church The village has one church led by Pastor Thawler which serves 800 members. Sections of walls collapsed during Nargis, but structural frame remains intact. Max Myanmar Construction Company has donated materials and labor to rebuild the church in this village. The original frame and foundation was kept while walls were rebuilt. The church will be completed in November.
A number of years ago, Pastor Thawler’s grandfather, who was also a pastor, dedicated the village to the Lord, specifically that it would be a center for missions and education. It appears evident that their prayers have been heard and it is a village of influence, especially in the area of education. |
Above: Church being rebuilt |
Rebuilding Progress A total of 88 houses will be rebuilt in Thik Pan Gone Gyi. Large amount of building material and prefabricated parts have already arrived on location. During our visit, a large boat used to ship supplies was unloading further building material shipped in from Laputta town. Transportation is relatively easy for this village as the river is accessible by large boats unlike other villages. Engineers and builders from Mya Nan Dar Construction Company were also seen on site. Locations of houses and plots have already been marked out along the main road and houses will be built between the school and a playground, moreover, villagers have agreed to name the road “Emmanuel Road”. Building progress should begin shortly in this village.
Above: New houses to line Emmanuel Road |
| |||||||||||||
Stories We left Thik Pan Gone Gyi with a boat full of students from Thar Lu Pa Taw. During our journey we had the opportunity to speak to Hnin Htet Lwin, at 10 she is an 8th grade student. Every day, 40 students from Thar Lu Pa Taw make the same journey; the better off by boat and those who cannot afford $ 3 USD a month travel an hour on foot.
|
Conclusion Being located next to a large river and having easy access to Laputta township, Thik Pan Gone Gyi appears to fare better than other villages I Love Myanmar visited. Majority of their needs appear to have been met by NGOs such as food and rice seed for farming. |
 |
Home Burmese Journal Contact Links
|
i 
Myanmar
in Loving Memory of Baby Emmanuel
i Love Myanmar on Facebook |
 |  |