SANNI News

Dear Friends of SANNI Foundation

In 2013 I visited Myanmar for the first time and immediately fell in love with the kindness of the people and their culture.
In the same year we started our projects with Dr. Frank Smithius and Dr. NiNi Tun (and respectively their institution Medical Action Myanmar), namely the sponsorship program for vulnerable children, the Motherhouse and the construction of the Lotus Clinic. Through my visits twice a year, I was able to see for myself the euphoria in the country and the increasing openness. However, then the COVID crisis and the military coup in February 2021 occurred.

In February I visited Yangon again after a break of almost 3 years. It was great to see Frank, NiNi, Sieb, Cho and all the other staff again and to observe the continuity of the project. It actually all felt very familiar, yet very different in some ways! In this newsletter you can read my report on the visit – and I would also like to draw your attention to the following dates:

In April, Father Jose from Kerala, who has been leading our projects in India for over 20 years, will come to Switzerland. On April 26, he will report on our activities in India at an information evening. In addition, our “Run/Walk for SANNI” will take place on June 4 at the Greifensee.
Thank you very much for your loyalty and support!

Yours sincerely,
Susanne Schroff

My visit to Myanmar

The entry to Myanmar is possible, but you need a lot of documents: a visa, a complete vaccination documentation, proof of health insurance and an additional “Myanmar insurance”.

On the flight from Bangkok to Yangonwar I was the only non-Asian person. The arrival then ran quite smoothly. Looking at my Swiss passport, the inspecting official asked me “Are you a diplomat?”, to which I answered “no” – he asked no further questions. Nevertheless, entering a country ruled by a military government that despises the population was very agitating. In front of the airport, I am greeted by Kyaw Thu, the driver of MAM, and Htet Htet. Htet Htet oversees the children’s sponsorship program for SANNI Foundation.

The entry to Myanmar is possible, but you need a lot of documents: a visa, a complete vaccination documentation, proof of health insurance and an additional “Myanmar insurance”. 

On the flight from Bangkok to Yangonwar I was the only non-Asian person. The arrival then ran quite smoothly. Looking at my Swiss passport, the inspecting official asked me “Are you a diplomat?”, to which I answered “no” – he asked no further questions. Nevertheless, entering a country ruled by a military government that despises the population was very agitating. In front of the airport, I am greeted by Kyaw Thu, the driver of MAM, and Htet Htet. Htet Htet oversees the children’s sponsorship program for SANNI Foundation.

We first head to the hotel. What has changed? A little less traffic, hardly any cabs, no foreigners let alone tourists, a midnight curfew which is why everything is closed after 10 pm. The choice of hotel was easy as most hotels are closed. Including the legendary Strand Hotel, established for 121 years, which was one of the most luxurious hotels during the English colonial period and was renovated from top to bottom only a few years ago. Likewise, the Rosewood Hotel, a luxury hotel built with very expensive and precious materials only a few years ago, where we had a fantastic dinner during our last visit in November 2019. Thinking about the last visits, I get a bit wistful as I remember the euphoria, the progress to be observed and the increasing opening of the country. On each trip, many friends, the foundation board members and sponsors accompanied me each time and we rejoiced in the warm people and what we could accomplish here.

As I travel, I am amazed at how little change I notice in the city at first glance. However, appearances are deceiving because life in Myanmar has become much more dangerous. There are only a few soldiers and policemen on the streets, because they are threatened by the population. Because of this, robberies of buses and home invasions are taking place more frequently. The number of physical and sexual assaults has also increased sharply due to the lack of a functioning law enforcement agency. On top of all this, the military government released thousands of prison inmates who had committed serious crimes to make room for political inmates. Just a few months ago, for example, the country’s 78-year-old national icon, Aung San Suu Kyi, was sentenced to a total of 33 years in prison on absurd charges.

The increased security risk is certainly one reason why even the Shwedagon pagoda site, so magical to me, is almost devoid of visitors and completely devoid of tourists. Htet Htet tells me that large parts of the population avoid places like this in protest against the government. However, this is no longer done consistently – “Life has to go on” she says somewhat melancholically. She goes on to say that education has virtually come to a standstill, especially for teenagers of university age. Large parts of the population still refuse to send their children to school because they “don’t want a military education” for their children.

The work of SANNI and MAM

Currently, the nationwide medical care is in a disastrous state. The state hospitals are closed because of the ongoing strikes of the employees. Only the expensive private ones are functioning, which of course are only available to the wealthy class of the population. The military can also fly to neighboring Thailand at any time.
That is why the work of MAM is even more important!

Most aid organizations have withdrawn from the country. At my first meeting with Dr. Frank and Dr. NiNi (the founders of the organization), Dr. Cho (the medical director) and Sieb (the CFO and finance director), we reviewed the last 3 years.

First of all, I am amazed at their self-sacrifice during this difficult time. Although regrettably some staff traveling to remote areas where violent fighting was taking place were murdered, MAM’s highly trained staff remained in Myanmar the entire time. For example, Sieb, who is Dutch, continues to raise his two daughters with his Dutch wife, despite the challenging circumstances in Yangon. Frank and NiNi also stayed on the site, even though the situation became threatening for them at times. For example, NiNi was massively threatened by the opposition a few months ago because an article full of misinformation appeared on social media.

In addition, NiNi in particular, who is the official representative of MAM as its Burmese founder and director, has to constantly juggle between the military and the opposition. The military has introduced a new registration law to control NGOs. Among other things, it prohibits contact with opposition groups. The opposition, in turn, argues that NGOs should not have contact with the military regime. This puts NGOs in a very difficult position, as some areas are under the control of the military and others are under the control of the opposition. But in order to reach the people, they need access. So in both areas, it is necessary to contact the respective authority of the area to ensure the safety of the staff and the patients.

Motherhouse

During the 1.5-hour drive the next day to the township of Hlaingthayar, where our activities mainly take place, the first military blockades behind sandbags are visible. The area changes and the traces of poverty among the population become visible. The arrival at our “Motherhouse”, the children’s home, which at the moment cares for 14 children, is all the more gratifying. The house is intentionally kept small and bears the name Motherhouse, because the children are cared for very personally by two social workers, who are affectionately called “Mothers”. The children were happy about our visit and welcomed us in different costumes of the tribes of Myanmar. After a short tour, the children performed some dances, which is always touching. A highlight was also the meeting of four young people who will soon be released from our sponsorship program, as they have started vocational training and we will help them to find a job. At the moment we support 500 children who receive medical, psychological, educational support as well as food for their entire families.

The whole house with a beautiful inner garden is well maintained and in an excellent condition, which of course makes me happy as well!

Lotus Clinic

We then visited various clinics, including the Lotus Clinic we built in 2014. It is an impressive clinic with a beautiful atmosphere and lots of plants. The staff is fully staffed with doctors and I was particularly impressed by the clinic’s young director. Besides the professionalism of the organization and the great help they provide to the population with their 1.45 million consultations throughout the country, I am always impressed by the humanity of all the employees!

The dinner with the close team that concluded the eventful day was once again very interesting. The stories are often touching – they also have a lot of joy in their work and you can feel the special bond.

Am I glad to have been back to Myanmar?

I can answer this question with an ABSOLUTE YES! Sieb said afterwards that my visit was a great “motivation boost” for the staff. And I realized once again that all the video calls in the world cannot replace a personal meeting.

What´s next?

Unfortunately, there is no sign of the situation improving in the near future. The motivation of the MAM staff is unwavering. The population needs our help more than ever! We are very grateful that MAM will not only maintain its activities but will expand them.

How can you help?

We are grateful for every donation: For the Lotus Clinic, our “Motherhouse”, the sponsorship program for children (a personal sponsorship costs 360.- CHF or 300.- Euro per year). We also appreciate donations to our “Children’s Fund”, from which we finance additional support for children. Or: You can recommend us to others and spread the word about our work!
In any case, I hope that many friends of the Foundation will be able to accompany me again on my next trip!

SAVE THE DATE

On April 26, we will be hosted in the evening by our SANNI Foundation Vice President, Corinne Fischer. In her wine shop HOFER, Father Jose, the longtime leader of our projects in India, will report about our activities there.

RUN/WALK FOR SANNI

Take the opportunity of spring to get fit and do something good at the same time: Participate in this year’s event at Greifensee on June 4, 2023 and support the children in Myanmar. Invitations for both events will follow, more information at office@sanni-foundation.ch.