Tuesday, March 12

From Ashland to Mae Sot

Heading to the Saturday Market  |  Photo by Tun Tun

When I attended a talk by Fred Stockwell last October at the Ashland Art Center, I didn’t know that in two months’ time, my boyfriend and I would be riding around in Fred’s pick-up truck at a garbage dump in Mae Sot, Thailand, where he has established a direct-aid organization, Eyes to Burma, along with the help of a small team of volunteers here in Ashland. 


Hanijo signs "I love you"  |  Photo by Nick Benedetti

During a whirlwind, three-and-a-half week trip to Southeast Asia, my boyfriend and I spent several days shadowing Fred. It was a life-changing experience. 


On the way to Mae Tao Clinic  |  Photo by Kara Q Lewis


It’s not easy to describe what it was like at the dump, where hundreds of Burmese refugees live and work. It was a shock to see such poverty. It was hard for me to wrap my head around the reality that a simple cut can get infected and put a person’s life and limb at risk. It was scary to think that any of the teens over 15 and the adults who weren't able to get a work ID card could be arrested, fined, and deported. 

At the clinic after Moe's surgery  |  Photo by Kara Q Lewis

I was overwhelmed by the amount of stress and work it takes to provide the people with very basic necessities that they couldn’t get without help.

First aid at the E2B community center  |  Photo by Nick Benedetti

Mostly, I was humbled by the connections we made with a few of the kids there. I was surprised by their playful antics and cheerful dispositions. They are smart, sweet, funny, regular kids.


Bouncy castle at the Saturday Market  |  Photo by Nick Benedetti

Sometimes, though, if you catch their eye when they’re having a quiet, introspective moment, you can sense their maturity. There’s a depth behind their eyes that makes them look like a world-weary adult. It’s understandable then why they play hard sometimes. It’s because they work hard and have probably been working hard since they were 7 or 8 years old.

Self-portrait  |  Photo by Samsamae

While we were at the dump Nick and I helped however we could. We took pictures and videos for eyestoburma.org. Nick put up a second shelf in the community center so Fred could organize his supply of medicines. We took a girl to the Mae Tao Clinic to have an infection in her leg cleaned out. And, I had fun sharing a Burmese/English phrasebook with several girls who read the Burmese words to me and had me repeat after them. We got a taste for what Fred said he’s learned from his 6 years at the dump: “The less I think about myself, the happier I am.”

Pisi leads Fred to Moe's house  |  Photo by Nick Benedetti

To learn more about Eyes to Burma visit their website and Like them on Facebook.


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Copyright © Kara Q. Lewis 2007-2013





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