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Spotlight on Myanmar

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Myanmar

  • 1st February 2021: military coup throws the country thrown into a prolonged and complex civil war
  • 3.5m people displaced, 19m in need of humanitarian assistance
  • Targeted attacks on health with 1,574 incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care since the military coup
  • Myanmar continues to be one of the most perilous countries for health care workers
  • Chin State –a remote and mountainous region, least developed in the country; scarce medical facilities
  • Limited infrastructure and terrain mean access to even primary health care is limited

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The story begins:

Trainers in Myanmar are asking for help in teaching techniques.

They need to teach community workers a big clinical syllabus

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5 PRIME Tutors Volunteer and Wonder

  • Who will be present on zoom teaching and
  • What teaching techniques have they found works for their culture?
  • What might they want and need in addition?
  • What will they be teaching?
  • What is their overall aim?
  • What is their Spiritual Background
  • How are their English skills?
  • What is their internet like for Zoom
  • When will this happen ?How long can a session last and when?

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Four Sessions with topics agreed

  • Learner Led Learning and ways of training
  • Lesson Planning
  • How to run a group
  • Feedback and reflective practice

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  • Interactive using questions to participants and chat box

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During the sessions

  • Language challenges….a Burmese participant agrees to translate.
  • Cameras often not used at times
  • Extra people appear, including a baby and a clinic in background
  • Diverse group with mixed professional backgrounds…we think!
  • Air raid interrupted one session
  • Getting reliable feedback difficult (cultural shyness?)

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Feedback from 4 of about 15 learners

  • Favourite parts of training were
  • 1 Role play (most mentions)
  • 2 Group work
  • 3 Giving Feedback
  • 4 Lesson planning
  • 5 Compassion and kindnesss
  • 6 Reflective trainer
  • 7 Good facilitation

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PRIME Tutors learnt

Explore language skills carefully and check re need for translater

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Check understanding regularly during sessions

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Make sure we all understand an agreed agenda

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Explore better ways to get feedback

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Perhaps use more examples of how this type of training works

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CHW training output

  • 326 CHWs trained in 2024
  • Serving 8/9 townships in Chin State
  • 430 villages served with estimated population 179,000
  • 53,000 people who have accessed various healthcare services

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From training to treatment…

‘I have been serving my community at my best’ - Mrs LRL

Mrs LRL is 37 years old. She was selected by her village health committee to be a Community Health Worker for her village. She says: 

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“After weeks of training, I was assigned back at my community with some equipment and medicines. So, I summoned a public meeting during the first week of my return and we all decided how to run my CHW clinic together. My community finds it very useful. They come in with cuts and wounds, skin issues, diarrhoea and stomach problems and many more. And we give the priority to women with pregnancy and lactation. Their vitamins are fully supplied so they are all very happy with my service. 

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My very small service is blessed by God that many poor people are being healed free of charge. The service to the community has been really appreciated”.