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The Children of Myaing

How Action Aid International is helping women in Myaing, Myanmar, provide local opportunities to their children

By Stories She Saw

tourism in myanmar

Tourism has rapidly increased across Myanmar since the military junta officially 'dissolved' in 2011 and instituted some semblance of democracy. However the main areas to benefit from tourism tend to be the major cities: Yangon, Bagan, Mandalay, Inle Lake. Previously Aung San Suu Kyi, the spiritual leader of Myanmar who spent 15 years under house arrest for her efforts to convert the country to democracy in the 1980s, condemned tourism due to the most of the money lining the pockets of the military elite. The National Democratic League, whom Aung San Suu Kyi leads, now supports tourism but they are keen to stress that it must: promote the welfare of the common people and the conservation of the environment and to acquire an insight into the cultural, political and social life of the country.

In August of 2016, I travelled around Myanmar for one month, spending two days in Myaing, a small township north of Bagan and to the west of Mandalay. There, Action Aid International has partnered with Intrepid Travel to support local women by launching community-based tourism in their area.

This came about because the matriarchs of the four nearby townships noticed that their children, when grown, had few local opportunities, which resulted in them moving away in droves to the city to seek employment. After much thought, they partnered with Action Aid to:

establish a tourism destination in Myaing Township that is minimally disruptive to the local environment and existing way of life in local communities, but also allows for increased economic opportunities in a manner that is sustainable, community driven, and implemented in a manner that benefits the wider community as a whole.

What this looked like in practice was inspiring.

community-based tourism

We arrived at the accommodation at the start of the wet season, and were the first group to do so. This provided some great memories during the two days - including the bus becoming bogged on the way in, and a group of local boys riding past stopping to watch us push the bus and laugh when we were subsequently covered in mud.

We were welcomed to the accommodation with a cool drink by four young women who had been trained at a hospitality school in Yangon. We were warned that they were still learning, and that western expectations often meant that they fell short, but they greeted us with nothing less than perfect kindness and hospitality.

We were then shown to our local-style accommodation, which was constructed by the villagers from dried, woven bark. It was by far my favourite accommodation of the trip - no electricity and open air windows - but a full night sky and the sounds of the local wildlife to serenade us off to sleep.

My hut in Myaing, with a balcony out the back that overlooked the lake

The toilet block on the left and my accommodation on the right, with other rooms in the centre.

At night, the sounds of the lake came alive and I fell asleep to frogs and crickets and bugs of all sorts.

Firstly, the women from one town gave us a presentation of their history, as up until their partnership with Action Aid it had never been physically recorded. They noted 60 years of death, drought, famine, floods and sickness, so as to better prepare for future events. Their presentation included highlighting one woman who was kidnapped by a neighbouring tribe.

We were shocked! Perhaps it was a translation mistake?

But no, she had escaped years later, and was there at the back of the amphitheatre, waving an embarrassed wave with a defiant sparkle in her eyes.

During the presentation, some of the younger children sat down the front with the intention of listening but ended up playing 'doctors', with one girl administering 'injections' to some of the others.

We spent the next two days riding mountain bikes through the monsoonal weather (the first group to do so, which caused some laughs and more than one dirty outfit) to the four different townships that bordered the community lodge. Each town showed us a different aspect of life, and welcomed us with excitement and joy. In some villages we watched as the women wove scarves to sell to tourists, in others they took us into their houses to serve us a meal. They covered our faces in thanaka and fed us with delicious local curries.

I had a conversation with a young woman who dreamt of being an engineer - she explained to me their pump-well system, which she had helped design, that had helped them through a period of low rainfall over the last six months.

Cooking over an open fire. Photo courtesy Kristin Spangler Chisholm.

Working on the loom. Photo courtesy Kristin Spangler Chisholm.

Chatting to a young girl about her dreams of being an engineer. Photo courtesy Kristin Spangler Chisholm

In all four towns, the children sang songs, practiced their English, and proudly showed us their lives. We were taken into the local school, where the mothers told us that the children had all contributed their meagre pocket money to purchase chairs and books for the school.

In the final township we rode to, there were two young girls with unending smiles and laughter in their eyes. They could not wipe the wonder off their faces at seeing the pale skin of a young Swiss boy from our group. They tenderly each took a hand and marvelled at his fingers and palms - amazed at his translucency.

The women of myaing

Despite being relatively close to Bagan and Mandalay - both epicentres of tourism in Myanmar - severe poverty is common in Myaing and job opportunities are limited with most villagers working as unskilled labourers or farmers. Without the initiative and determination of the woman of Myaing, their children would grow up in similar circumstances, eventually leaving the area for better employment prospects. With the money raised from community-based tourism they can, and have, invested in better education and opportunities for their children. These women are strong, knowledgeable, feminine and kind - and determined to make the world a better place.

Regina fell of her mountain bike, and the women of the closest town were more than happy to dress her while they washed her clothes.

Trisha wearing a scarf the traditional way, woven and sold by the woman in pink, standing here with her mother and daughters.

Preparing food by chopping greens using a foot pedal.

All the villagers came out of their homes to welcome us and show us around.

This woman took a liking to me, holding my hand as we walked to the temple. I absolutely adored her gap-mouthed grin.

I think regularly of the people in these villages, and though I’ve travelled a lot of the world, I’ve never met a group of people that have been so kind and thoughtful and welcoming. I look forward to visiting Myaing again in the future and seeing the progress they've made while sticking strong to their values and traditions.

Saying goodbye as the kids attended prayers for the day.

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