Blog Page - Marist Asia Foundation

An experience of Marist Mission

posted on July 18, 2016 by Frank Bird

In Ranong, the busy fishing port in Southern Thailand bordering Myanmar’s most southern point, the Marist Asia Foundation serves the poor through well-run education and health programmes.

From Myanmar, easily visible just across the strait, a short trip in small open boats transports thousands of Burmese seeking refuge in Thailand. If they do find work it is often poorly paid and in challenging conditions as in fish or charcoal factories.

The long rows of their cramped single-room dwellings, often alongside or within factory enclosures and regularly swamped by the region’s frequent rain, reflect the poverty of their family environment. Hindered further by language and political difficulties, the Burmese refugees are the true poor of Ranong.

In 2006 the Marist Fathers initiated a social justice mission project to serve these poor at their expressed point of need through two main ministries. They provide education as a key to development out of poverty and into leadership, and they care for HIV patients by personal home visitation, medical education, and by practical assistance in dealing with agencies and government.

The early mission project has developed into the well-respected Marist Asia Foundation. Under that name, Marist Fathers (SM) work alongside Mission Sisters (RNDM), paid local staff, and also volunteers from overseas. Both the education team and the health team cooperate well and work in and from a suitably simple but well-built Centre. Education is targeted by local need to preschool and secondary levels.

The mission also involves working alongside students of the Australian Catholic University On-Line programme, and those studying more English in hopes of entering that programme, as they all aspire to become worthy future leaders for their families and country.

The health team cooperates with the hospital and receives their referrals. The Foundation structure was approved in 2014. It sets a base for hopefully ensuring a reasonable level of ongoing financial support, an environment of good responsible practice and professional process, and to conform to government regulations.

It has been my pleasure, privilege and joy to work alongside the Marist Community and their leadership teams, families and students for 3-4 weeks and to experience again the challenges and joys of mission in the tropics. My earlier 18 years working in the Oceania mission field in Samoa, American Samoa and Tokelau Islands, prepared me for feeling very much at home again as a Marist in this mission environment.

The big difference is working in Asia. Ranong is more densely populated and has its own unique merging of cultures, religions, relationships, difficult-to-learn languages and demands of life coping with life in Thai society.

I enjoyed being Marist in the pastoral and mission-minded team of Marist confreres, invited to share from the inside some of their joys, hopes, griefs and practical challenges. They expressed a genuine Marist spirit in positive and encouraging relationships with Sisters, staff, families and students, and their easy teamwork approach resonated well with me.

The true Marist heart of Marist Asia Foundation is clearly evident, given and received. The fact that the Burmese refugees we work among are mainly Buddhist, with a few Muslims and only a handful of Christians, adds a unique and respectful dimension to that interesting experience.

A happy and caring community atmosphere is strongly felt throughout the ministries. The Burmese families are clearly very appreciative of the practical compassionate help given to raise them up from very difficult living conditions and for the personal (Marist) attention shared with them.

Another special joy for me was how the On-Line University students were so happy to trust us and our responses as Fr. Frank and myself worked with them one-on-one through their stories and essay work by posing open ended questions to help them improve their expression of thought and grammar. Their moving personal stories covered topics like their real family situations and their journey to education, and also their well-considered reflections on key issues they knowingly face as future emerging leaders of their families and country.

To be trusted to listen alongside them as they struggled to clarify their own thoughts and their hearts’ deep desires with such openness, honesty and passion is a specially privileged Marist memory I will prayerfully reflect on further. We also worked among other senior students studying more English grammar with earnest hopes for entry into the On-Line programme, and I realized that, even there in the context of coping with difficult Burmese and Thai languages, I have much to learn again even in English!

Visiting with Fr. Gil and his health team some HIV families in their poor lodgings, listening as they willingly shared their personal stories in eager and much appreciated dialogue (I knew only the visible emotions in their nonverbal communication), also exposed me to a variety of human struggles and caring interactions important for ongoing reflection and prayer.

During these my last few days, Fr. Kevin has just returned from overseas. As Director of the mission he has the overall administration responsibility of the whole project and also has special pastoral care of the staff and students of the pre-school and secondary programmes. He also unites the Marist Community in their prayer and action in this vital Social Justice work.

During our daily Mass and community prayer, sitting in the Marist community’s “upper room”, an open verandah chapel that overlooks the beautiful ever-changing mists on the Ranong mountains, I gratefully reflect in prayer on the many key changes of the human heart and life, in myself and in those we serve.

Probably much like my confreres, my own journey to Ranong started long ago in a family environment of prayer and commitment to social justice and so developed into a longing to serve as a Marist and priest on mission among the poor. I take to heart and prayer my varied experiences as a Marist on mission as I now prepare to continue my travel journey to process it all during a Hesburgh sabbatical renewal in Chicago.

I leave Ranong with a very big thank you to you my Marist confreres for the opportunity and privilege to share a little of your life and mission from the inside. Also a big thank you to the Sisters, staff, volunteers and families we worked alongside.

A final huge thank you to the ever cheerful, respectful and engaging students who so enjoyably shared, with amazingly open simplicity and trust, their deepest joys and new hopes, their griefs and challenges of being Burmese refugees in Ranong, poor but ever so grateful for being given a new chance to radically change, develop and lead others by their adopted family, the people and supporters of the Marist Asia Foundation. Thank you. Thank you. Khorp khun khrap. Ce zu tin ba deh.

Fr John Jolliffe SM

3 Ingredients to make HIV: Poverty, Migration, Desperation

posted on April 11, 2016 by Frank Bird

Moe Set arrived in Ranong from Dawei, Myanmar, as a migrant worker in 2007. She got married to a fisherman.

In 2009 she found out that she was HIV positive and she was two months pregnant that time. She went for HIV treatment and underwent the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMCT). The doctor and nurses encouraged her to ask the husband for HIV test but he refused to go for HIV test and treatment.

When the baby was born they went back to Myanmar. After two years, the husband became very weak. He was very sick, and he passed away. She felt alone and afraid. She shared her status to her families, neighbors and friends, but their response was not pleasing to her. Instead of being consoled by them, she felt discouraged. They told her that like her husband she would also die very soon. It was so depressing for her. She felt hopeless.

Nobody was there to support her and to help her. One day, when she looked at her little daughter, it came to her mind that she needed to be alive for her daughter. She became hopeful. She believed that she would not die very soon.

She asked her mother to look after her daughter and she came back to Ranong to work. It was not easy for her to be far away from her daughter. She worked very hard and sacrificed many things to achieve her dream that before she dies she could do something for the future of her daughter. She wanted to have a house in Myanmar for her daughter.

While in Ranong she tried to do any work and she worked very hard to try and stay healthy. It was a challenge for her financially because she he had to save money to buy ARV drugs (HIV medication). In March 2011, she met the Marist Mission Health Team members at the hospital. They assisted her not just financially to buy the drugs but also to belong to a group where she can share and find more support and encouragement.

Several years have passed now but she still stays healthy with the right medical treatment. She was able to build her own house in Myanmar. Her daughter is now 15 years old and now studying at high school. Her dreams and hopes continue on. She would love to see her daughter graduate from university to achieve a brighter future.

For Moe Set, it was her daughter who gave her hope to live. She said the there is always a reason to live and to hope.

Each day the HIV Health Team from the Marist Asia Foundation accompany some of the poorest of the Burmese Migrants in Ranong who seek to live and hope for a brighter future. A common story of poverty, migration to Thailand, lack of knowledge and desperate living conditions, are the root cause of many young women now living with HIV AIDS.

2015 Annual Report

posted on April 9, 2016 by Frank Bird

Compassion in Action.

Thanks to all our friends and supporters. In our Annual Report for 2015 we share our achievements. Click on some of the photos to read some of the stories and highlights.

We had a record number of teenagers begin secondary school, all of our preschool graduates will start school and we continued quality support of Burmese Migrants living with HIV AIDS.

A preview of the report is below. You can view the full report and share a link with your friends to support us at this link https://magic.piktochart.com/output/12624585-maf-annual-report-2015

The 2015 Marist Asia Foundation Annual Report is available in a pdf file here

They taught me about the simplicity and joy of life

posted on April 1, 2016 by Frank Bird

Teacher Monica, a ‘Kiwi’ from Australia volunteered over the summer break and shares her experience of two months in Ranong.

Books from Brisbane Early December 2015 I began my volunteering adventure. I flew to Bangkok in Thailand and then on to Ranong where I taught Burmese migrants during my summer holiday. My cousin is Frank Bird who is a Catholic priest, based in Ranong with the Marist team so that was my connection with this mission community.

I am Head of Religious Education at St Paul’s School, a large coeducational private P-12 Anglican school in north Brisbane. My experiences in Ranong both teaching and living were vastly different from those experienced in Brisbane, Australia.

Undoubtedly the highlight of my time in Ranong was teaching English to the Burmese migrant students and tutoring the twelve university students. I was overwhelmed by the students’ total dedication and motivation to learning, their respectfulness and sheer happiness.

Education is a jewel to them and they relish the opportunities to learn English. Despite coming from very poor backgrounds by Australian standards, the students were impeccably dressed and groomed each day, and smiled throughout the day.

I was impressed with the Marist philosophy in Ranong: “We educate, we care and we serve”. The priests and sisters at Marist Asia Foundation were unequivocally committed to their mission statement. They educated the students, cared for those who were ill with HIV and served the Burmese migrant community in Ranong: Catholic priests and sisters teaching those who were mainly Buddhist, and not directly mentioning God. How amazing is that!

While living in Ranong certainly presented me with many challenges and took me completely out of my comfort zone, I survived well. I had a tap and a bucket for my shower; I had to purchase my drinking water in large containers; I biked to school through crazy traffic; I was surrounded by poverty and I could speak neither Thai nor Burmese which made shopping challenging! (I quickly learnt some key words and phrases in both these languages!)

monica group However the students at Marist Asia Foundation were extremely appreciative of my time and energy. They showed utmost respect towards me and treated me like a goddess! They taught me so much about the simplicity and joy of life which is absent from many school children in Australia. The students have little in terms of money and resources, yet they have everything that is often missing from developed countries.

Many of the students at the school are sponsored by generous people in New Zealand and Australia. There are many demands on our money through various charities. However I can guarantee that sponsoring a Burmese migrant child is a most worthwhile donation.

Contact Fr Frank Bird for details how your small change can make a BIG DIFFERENCE: 70 cents a day, $5 a week, $20 a month gives a child an education on the Thailand/Myanmar border.

The following words in New Zealand Maori, summarise the impact the Marist Mission in Ranong had for me. The Burmese students showed me a new face of love peace and friendship which are the translation of the phrases below.

Te Aroha, Te Whakapono me, Te Rangimarie, Tatou Tatou e

Monica Keating

click here for information about volunteering with the Marist Mission in Ranong

Volunteering: A life changing opportunity

posted on February 17, 2016 by Frank Bird

Andrew and Leeann from New Zealand volunteered for 3 months and share their experience.

Arriving in Ranong in August was a bit of a culture shock, as we had spent the past six months in the UK and Europe, working and travelling.

The biggest challenges were the heat, especially for Andrew who would literally drip in sweat! And not having a shower seemed inconceivable, but one learned to wash quite adequately with a bucket and cold water!

The students, at first seemed very shy and reluctant to communicate, so we wondered how on earth we’d be able to teach them anything, as our kiwi accents seemed to confuse them!

But slowly they responded, and this was the most rewarding aspect of our volunteering, developing relationships with the students, laughing and joking with them, seeing them grow in confidence, and the small hope that they may actually retain some of the information we endeavoured to teach them!

I am hoping that the Year 4 students are still experts on natural disasters! Another difficulty was the fact that as an English speaker, you assume you can teach it, but hey, it was in fact not that easy, but we both found our own methods and it was great to see the students pass their English exam!

We soon got into a routine for day to day life in Ranong, enjoying the smallness of the place, loved getting around by scooter, sightseeing with our students, the delicious shared meals at the Marist house, the simplicity of life, where all that mattered was school, Internet, gym, shopping, cooking and eating!

We have learnt about two cultures, Burmese and Thai, have learnt kindness and gentleness from the Marist community, have learnt gratitude and appreciation for what we have. In fact it’s probable that we learnt more than we taught!

One of our most memorable moments is still on our first meeting with the ACU online students, as they introduced themselves, one boy spoke of how lucky they were to live in Ranong, where there was electricity 24/7, and running water. And this only a day after we despaired of no shower or hot water!

We certainly have a different perspective on life and wish to thank Marist Asia Foundation for this amazing, life changing opportunity.

If you are interested in volunteering with Marist Asia Foundation read other volunteer stories and download the Volunteer Application Document and we look forward to being in contact with you.

10 Years of Compassion in Action

posted on February 9, 2016 by Frank Bird

This has been one of the highlights of my life coming back to Ranong shared Alice, a volunteer and teacher from Malaysia.

She was one of the first teachers when the Marist’s began a school for Burmese Migrants in Ranong and was delighted to see how the school had grown and to enjoy meeting her past students all grown up.

To celebrate 10 years of the Marist Mission in Ranong, two days of celebrations were organised to thank all the community, staff, funders and volunteers.

Day one of the two day celebration involved volunteers, Sisters and Marist Fathers gathering with the Catholic Bishop of Suraththani, priests, and local supporters from the Thai and Burmese community to celebrate a thanksgiving Mass.

Bishop Joseph Prathan reflected in his homily during the celebration Mass how proud he is of the work the Marists have developed in support of the poor Burmese in his Diocese.

He declared: “I am looking forward to returning to celebrate 20 years of the Marists in Ranong!”

Special prayers and thanks were offered for all the friends and funders, without whom we could not have begun or continued the work.

Andrew, a volunteer from New Zealand and now working in Singapore, beamed with joy and delight in having photos with past graduates of the Burmese Migrant Education Programme and the Australian Catholic University Online Diploma Programme.

Many of his past students have become teachers, health workers and are now serving their Burmese Migrant Community.

Many staff and returning volunteers shared memories of when the first Marists arrived in Ranong and working together but in different locations around the town to serve Burmese in Learning Centre, HIV AIDS Health Work and a Community Centre for Burmese Migrant Workers.

Over the two days of celebrations, there were opportunities for sharing, eating and enjoying dances and songs performed by the 200 students in the 3 Education Programmes.

Fr Gil Casio, the Marist Priest leader of the HIV Aids Health Project and team enjoyed welcoming and sitting among many of their patients.

Normally visited daily in their homes, the 10 year celebration gave them an opportunity to come and enjoy celebrating with their wider community with tears of joy and smiles.

Fr Frank Bird, a Marist Priest now working in the Mission reflected that it was such a beautiful sight to see over 500 Burmese Families along with supporters from Burmese Learning Centres enjoying the celebration in a huge tent put up for the celebration.

“In the midst of a very poor community with many hardships, to see our students dressed in traditional Burmese clothing, performing both traditional and contemporary dances and songs with such joy and pride in front of their parents will be such a great memory to have of our 10 year celebration.

“I could clearly see the link. Education brings confidence. Confidence produces beautiful smiles. And the smiles revealed a sense of dignity and pride. Their talents and culture were celebrated in front of their parents. I will never forget this.

Sister Martha, representing the RNDM sisters from Myanmar, who are partners with the Marist Priests and whose two Burmese sisters work in the Health and Education Programmes, shared words of thanks to the Marist Fathers “Thank you for your wonderful generosity in serving the migrants with love and joy.

You indeed have given life to those who are desperately in need particularly through the ministries of Education and Health.”

Fr Kevin, the current Director of the Marist project shared “I am delighted that the Marist Asia Foundation has been able to empower the voiceless and marginalised Burmese Migrants through Education and Health Programmes here in Ranong and Thailand.

We look forward to the next 10 years bringing compassion, learning and service to our Burmese Migrant Families in great need.