Hoekyaw’s mother died when he was one month old. He was abandoned by his family and brought to this monastery in the Mandalay region of Myanmar.
Monastic schools, like this one supported by ChildFund, provide care and education for orphans and other vulnerable children.
Teacher Daw Hnin Hnin Wai looks after Hoekyaw, now aged 3. She’s been at the school for 5 years and teaches Grade 3.
When Hoekyaw was younger, Daw Hnin Hnin Wai would take care of him “like my own baby.” She would take him to class. At night he sleeps with her and an orphan girl that Daw Hnin Hnin Wai also looks after.
“He has good manners. He doesn’t play with small children – he likes being with adults,” she says. “He learns quickly. He knows lots of words and mannerisms even though he hasn’t been taught them.
“He’s like an old man. When guests come, he talks to everyone like an adult. He`s always learning and wants to do things on his own. Only if he can’t do something himself will he ask for help. He even puts on tanaka (yellow face paste) himself.”
Daw Hnin Hnin Wai says when Hoekyaw is five, he will start having lessons. But informally he already attends a lot of classes and listens.
“He’s very confident – he’s bright and sharp,” she says. “Everyone knows him and likes him. He never asks for any snacks. He just eats rice and curry.”
Whenever Daw Hnin Hnin Wai goes to visit her mother, Hoekyaw goes too. He knows she’s leaving and doesn’t want to be left behind.
Soon, Daw Hnin Hnin Wai will retire and look after her own mother who lives some distance from Mandalay. She’ll have to leave Hoekyaw to be looked after by other teachers or monks.
“I feel really sad to be leaving him. If I was rich I would take him with me.”
The theme of International Youth Day this year centres on Youth and Mental Health. It is a critically important angle as the mental health of children in developing countries is often overlooked. Yet we know that one in five young people globally experience some form of mental illness.
In aid and development programs, the focus has typically been on the physical needs of children – food, water, shelter – which, of course, are vital. But in countries where children experience extreme poverty, are exposed to multiple risks and where child protection systems are lacking, it is imperative that programs address both the physical and mental health needs of traumatised children and young people.
In a country like Myanmar, many children and youth remain vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Limited awareness of children’s rights, compounded by one of the highest poverty rates in Asia, puts millions of children at risk of trafficking and other forms of violence, abuse and exploitation. While child protection laws exist, they are not widely implemented.
On a recent visit to the country, I spoke with children, teenagers and staff at a ChildFund-supported street children’s refuge in Sagaing Region. Around 50 children and youth live at the centre permanently, while another 200 come and go. Street children, who rely on begging, domestic work, prostitution and rubbish collecting to survive, are exposed to danger on a daily basis and are at high risk of being abused or trafficked. Children here told their stories of living on the streets from as young as five.
Without adequate mental health care and support, these children are more likely to grow up with significant emotional and psychological problems, and will find it difficult to function as parents, income-earners and members of their community. Yet I was pleased to see the care and support the children are receiving at the refuge is not only addressing their basic physical needs. There is also a significant focus on their emotional and psychological health through activities such as meditation workshops, art, music, counselling and team sports. These programs have been critical in helping young people at the centre restore trust, build confidence and regain hope for the future after a life of abuse and exploitation at home and on the streets.
