Aye Aye lives in a remote village in the Kayin state of Myanmar. When she was still quite young her father died and her mother had a difficult time supporting the family without him. Like many of the Karen people who live in Kayin state, she decided to cross over into Thailand and find work in Bangkok.

Working illegally in Bangkok was challenging and Aye Aye grew up fast. Fortunately she met a Karen man who was also working in Bangkok. They fell in love, got married, and had two children.

Together they managed to save enough money to return home to Myanmar and start over again.

Aye Aye runs a small shop from her home and her husband works as a delivery man. They don’t make a lot of money but in their rural village there are not a lot of expenses and they manage to get by.

ADRA began working in their community three years ago.

Having just given birth to a new baby, Aye Aye started taking the ADRA classes on health, nutrition, and child development.

As she was attending the education classes, she became pregnant again. This time she decided to start following all of the ADRA advice on how to have a healthy pregnancy. She started eating more nutritiously and got regular exercise.

ADRA built a clinic about 500 meters from her home. An ADRA trained mid-wife made regular stops at the clinic and Aye Aye was able to receive regular pre-natal checkups. It was so nice to have a professional. She was able to ask questions about her pregnancy. She took her vitamins and got her immunizations. She made plans to have her baby right at the clinic. Her four other children had been born at home, but she now understood how important it was to give birth in a sanitary environment.

All was well, but then she had a bad fall at home and the midwife recommended that she go to the hospital for examination. She was told that it would be best to have the baby there.

Before ADRA Aye Aye would have been worried because the costs to travel and stay at the hospital would have been more than she and her husband could afford.

Fortunately, ADRA had helped her group set up a small fund for emergencies. They applied to the group and were given the money they needed. Aye Aye was able to go to the hospital and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl!

Aye Aye is thankful that ADRA came to work in her village. She has learned so many things that are helping her family, the village has a new clinic, and the emergency fund was a real help to her and her family.