Preparing for the Global Social Benefit Fellowship in the spring was brutal. I balanced my extracurricular activities with my classes, this fellowship, and my social life. When I boarded the plane bound for Yangon with my teammates, Emily Alonso and Esther Bartlett, I was eager to embark on a journey solely focused on conducting action research.
As I arrived in Yangon, Myanmar, the first thing I noticed was the heat and humidity. While the weather may be different than what I am used to in sunny Santa Clara, my experiences with Koe Koe Tech, a social enterprise, and the relationships I have established in Myanmar have shaped my perception of this beautiful country and its people. After weeks of conducting research, my heart soars because I know I am interacting with people whose lives have been positively impacted by Koe Koe Tech.
Within the first couple weeks, my two team members and I had the opportunity to travel to Twante Township, which is near the Hlaing River. The homes and shops that we visited were constructed from bamboo and other various dried vegetation to make patchwork roofs and walls. In this area, we encountered a woman with a baby, a woman who was seven months pregnant, an older woman, and a handful of men. As we conducted our interviews, we found that the absence of electrical resources and scarcity of nearby health clinics contributed to the lack of access. For instance, we interviewed one woman who claimed that she had never been to a clinic and depended on traditional medicine her entire life. As we interviewed these individuals, we could tell that the resources we wanted to offer them were in demand. As we walked back through the muddy dirt path back to the truck, I could feel my brow furrow in critical thought. For ten weeks in the spring at Santa Clara, I conducted research on how Myanmar’s health infrastructure impacted the lives of people who lived in urban, per-urban, and rural areas. Here, I was face-to-face with these individuals and I had the opportunity to associate their faces with their respective stories and struggles. Through these interviews and interactions, I encountered the thread of humanity that connects all of us to one another.
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Conducting interviews with one of our translators and an employee of Koe Koe Tech, Aung Nyein Chan.
Two weeks ago, we interviewed a mother with twins in Mandalay. Before we arrived, we composed questions on how maymay, Koe Koe Tech’s mobile application, impacted her pregnancy and influenced her decisions as a new mother. While we came ready to ask questions, nothing could have prepared us for the family’s hospitality and enthusiasm. When we arrived, we were surprised to find that the entire extended family had come for support. We spent hours talking and sharing personal stories with them. After the formal interviews concluded, we visited a cafe with some family members. Once again, our connections with one another blossomed despite linguistic and cultural barriers. Altogether, I am grateful to be a part of such a diverse and talented team.
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Playing with one of the twins in Mandalay.
My experience in Myanmar has been further enriched by my relationships with not only my Santa Clara colleagues, but also with Misja Ilicsin and Steele Burrow. Misja is a Santa Clara University graduate and former Global Social Benefit Fellow. Her expertise in fellowships and Koe Koe Tech’s operations has been instrumental to our success here.
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Misja playing with children in Twante.
Steele is a graduate student in foreign policy at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service within Georgetown University. His stunning photos and videos have provided us with a way to capture the essence of a person’s story in beautiful portraits.
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Steele sharing his portraits with people we met at Inle Lake.
Altogether, each unique research project is improved by our relationships as coworkers and friends.
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The SCU team riding on a boat at Inle Lake.
After our journeys to Twante, Mandalay, and Ayeyawady, we have scheduled more interviews for our last few weeks. In retrospect, my experiences with action research have taught me how Koe Koe Tech’s mission to revolutionize health systems operates under Myanmar’s rich history and cultural context. As I mentally prepare myself to return home, I am ready to face the whirlwind of classes, extracurricular activities, and social engagements. While the chaos of fall quarter is fast approaching, I am eager to produce deliverables that not only benefit Koe Koe Tech’s operations, but also affect the lives of others.