Healing hand visits Myanmarese weavers

Aizawl, June 16(UNI) The Aizawl-based Farendo Integrated Women's Development Center (FIWDC) has started a mobile clinic for over 300 Myanmarese weavers in Aizawl from this week.

Project director Sister Rose said that Myanmarese weavers suffer from poor health. They cannot communicate well enough in the local language to help them get health check-ups in the hospital.

Therefore the mobile clinic had been made available for them.

Doctors and pharmacists are available in the clinic and they conduct health check-ups without charge. Medicine is sold to them at prices below the market rate.

The Burmese Social Welfare Association is helping solve the communication problem between NGOs and the Myanmarese weavers by interpreting.

''Once the mobile clinic was operational we found that there are many cases of low blood pressure among the weavers' families. One reason is that the families live in unhygienic conditions, huddling together in a small house and use one toilet, said Dr Lalthantluanga.

''Besides, there is low blood pressure because of weakness, low haemoglobin count and lack of vitamins,'' he added.

After 1990 when the economy of Myanmar started declining a large number of Myanmarese girls came to Mizoram to work as weavers and domestic helps.

But now wages are going down with more weavers available. They are facing health problems staying in unhygienic conditions in small rooms, sleeping on the floor, sharing one toilet and eating poor food and are paid low wages.

Besides, the Myanmarese weavers weave from 0700 hours to 1100 hours throughout week. There are around 700 domestic helps from Myanmar, registered with the Farendo Integrated Women Development Centre (FIWD), a working partner of the NDWMWT.

FIWD is running a Peace Home in Dultlang in Aizawl, where they provide a kind of qualification build-up like training on sewing, and cooking among other things. It also provides voluntary service to solve problems faced by domestic helps.

NDWMWT also provides training to empower women to promote women's rights and to secure the life and safety of women.

UNI