Burmese visit plants seeds of hope

Years of research and preparation could not prepare Jeanne Dodic for the moment she stepped off the plane in 2001 and saw it with her own eyes.
The Berwick grandmother, a dedicated supporter of the Burmabased Mustard Seed Foundation Orphanage, had prepared for despair, but soon discovered it was much worse than photographs depicted.
Jeanne had mixed emotions. The euphoria of finally meeting the orphans she had sponsored for so long was met with a dull sense of hopelessness.
But that hopelessness quickly passed and Jeanne has since returned to Burma five times, once a year since 2001.
Burma, or Myanmar as it is officially known, is located in southeast Asia and is widely regarded as one of the world’s poorest countries.
Its most recent democratically elected leader, Aung San Suu Kyim, has been under a militaryimposed house arrest since winning the 1990 election.
Jeanne doesn’t concern herself with the politics of Burma, but on helping some of Burma’s millions of neglected and forgotten children.
In between her roles as a registered nurse and a grandmother of four, Jeanne devotes her time, and most of her money, to doing whatever she can to save as many children as possible.
Hundreds of thousands of Burmese children are orphans – with no money and no home.
Jeanne was first touched by the plight of Burma in 1994, after a friend showed her some photographs.
“The instant I saw the photographs and the problems these children were facing, I decided to do something, but didn’t know what or how,” Jeanne said.
Jeanne soon became involved with Mustard Seed Foundation Orphanage, a not for profit organisation established in 2003.
A group of volunteer tradesmen, from all over Australia, got behind the foundation, paid their own airfares and travelled to the Burmese city of Yangong to build an orphanage that would be run by a Burmese Christian pastor and his wife.
Jeanne said it was a dream come true.
“Before I visited Burma, I wondered whether it was worth travelling there or staying in Australia and donating my money.
“After going so many times, seeing the orphanage built and open was a big step forward,” Jeanne said.
Most children end up in an orphanage after the death of their parents, particularly a father.
“A lot of people die from malaria, but many fathers die fighting on the border or working in the mines.”
The average day in the life of an orphan includes rising early for daily devotion, breakfast, chores, school, playtime, homework and dinner.
“I couldn’t believe these children, who live in such poor conditions, are as happy as they are,” Jeanne said.
“These are children who are escorted to school with security, and who are forced into slave labour from very young ages. They are amazing.”
“The children live a simple life at the Mustard Seed Orphanage, but they enjoy a much better quality of life,” Jeanne said.
Every child living at the orphanage requires $300 of sponsorship a year: $100 for healthcare; $100 for schooling; and $100 for food. Sponsors can donate $300 or a $100 portion of each child’s requirements.
The Mustard Seed orphanage, which got its name from the mustard seed’s ability to keep growing, currently houses 40 children and has plans for four more stages of building.
The next stage includes installing showers and further extending the orphanage to accommodate 150 children and widows.
Jeanne said encouraging people to sponsor children was the only way to speed up the expansion plans.
“I visit a lot of places with my presentation and talk to people about Burma.
Government restrictions mean Jeanne can only visit Burma once a year, and her next trip is planned for March 2007.
“The government is very strict on visas and where tourists can and can’t go, so it’s important to plan trips carefully,” she said.
Jeanne spends her time at the orphanage teaching the children the basics of English.
“The language barrier is quite big, but what the children need most is love and that is understood in any language.
“People often think the children only need money and food, but what makes a difference is showing them that someone in this world cares for them, and appreciates them,” Jeanne said.
But you don’t have to travel to Burma to make a difference to the life of an orphaned child.
“Everyone can sponsor a child at the orphanage,” Jeanne said. “We need one sponsor for each child, so each contribution makes such a big difference.”
For more information about the Mustard Seed Foundation Orphanage, phone 8621 6924 or visit www.mustardseedorphanage.com.