Paukwe

It is butterbean time in Paukwe half an hour by motorbike from Mandalay. The harvest is in and lies in heaps on the ground outside most of the houses. The women (mainly, though there were two men) sat on the ground in the shade of trees husking (if that is the right term) the slim, green, partially curved beans which closely resemble snow peas. The women were only too pleased to stop work when we told them why we were here.

It is a couple of years since a taxi-driver friend of mine in Mandalay, Win San, told me his uncle’s life had improved greatly when he received a pair of my no-longer-used glasses. He told me there would be hundreds of elderly people in Myanmar whose lives could also improve if they could see to read – or just see around them. So this morning we set out to see if there were elderly people in Paukwe who needed glasses. Yes, there were and yes they did, but the butter bean huskers were not elderly: Daw Khin Tauk is 72, Daw San Ye is 77 and Daw Khin Htay is just a girl of 68.    

As is most of Myanmar, this is farmland. It contrasts with Mandalay the very-close big city with paved roads and shiny cars. Here there are dilapidated trucks wheezing (as opposed to whizzing) along and bullock carts. Villagers grow and sell maize, peanuts, sesame and several types of beans including soybeans and butterbeans. The women cut up a juicy watermelon for their visitors and we were delighted to quench our thirst after the clouds of dust the motorbike had thrown up.  

In the past when the villagers could not fit into their budget, they allowed the Chinese (of whom there are many in Mandalay) to rent some of their land. Sometimes the Chinese would sow, harvest and sell their produce, at other times they would pay the villagers to do this for them.

It is not always possible to get there by motorbike. The village is inundated each year, flooded by a tributary of the Ayeyarwaddy River. So from July to September many of the villagers will move their cows to higher ground and move themselves, by places where they can find employment. Some may go as far away as the Shan States and pick tealeaves. The village carpenters, who build canoes in the village, will leave to build new houses for people in Mandalay.

One by one the women tried on the glasses. Someone was sent off to find reading material and great were the smiles when one after another they found the glasses helpful. So a big thank you to all who gave the glasses to me: they now have new homes.

It was great to visit this village for another reason: Pu Pu, who was in our sewing project, lives here. She now designs wedding dresses by order and employs two other seamstresses. Our sewing project gave her a start in life and she has risen past all expectations.

Hopefully the glasses will give the recipients a second start in life so, if you are going to Myanmar or indeed any developing country, please take all your unwanted glasses with you to give away.