Free funeral service organization needs help

by Mizzima News

Friday, 15 August 2008 12:46

(Interview with Free Funeral Service–Rangoon Chairman U Kyaw Thu) Free Funereal Service (Rangoon), led by famous actor U Kyaw Thu, needs emergency assistance for both their free funeral and free medical care services. At present, U Kyaw Thu sometimes personally drives a hearse. The organization provides hundreds of free funeral services monthly and its free medical clinic receives over 150 patients daily. But the organization has to shift to a new building by July of next year. Thus, it badly needs about 120 million kyat (U.S. $100,000) for the construction of a new building. Nem Davies from Mizzima contacted and interviewed U Kyaw Thu to learn more details related to the charity's current predicament. Q: We heard that your 'Thukha' free clinic has to shift to a new location by July next year from its current base at Thingangyun monastery. A: Yes, the abbot of the Thingangyun monastery asked us to move our free clinic from his place. We must shift it to a plot in North Dagon Township by the 31st of July 2009 – within one year. We must build new buildings there. The two acre plot is big enough to accommodate our clinic. The plot was given by the government and we have built fencing around it. However, currently the plot is awash with plastic waste dumping. And we need money for the construction of our new building. Q: Why did they ask you to shift to another place? A: The abbot needs more space for his teaching of novice monks as he is expanding his learning monastic institution. So he asked us to shift to another place. Q: How long have you been there running your free funeral service? A: Since January 2001. Q: What is your emergency need? A: We urgently need donations for the construction of the new building. The new building will house an office, donation centre and free clinic – because we also have to shift our 'Thuka' free clinic. We need spaces for all these services. We must have a building to run all these free services. Q: What is the estimate of the cost of constructing this new building? A: The office building alone will cost 120 million kyat (U.S. $100,000). We must have a building. After that, I hope we can get a building for our clinic too. Then needy patients can again come to us for treatment. Many domestic donors are giving donations to us. They are donating for specific purposes, say for free funeral services or the free clinic. But most people have yet to learn that we need donations for the construction of a new building as well. We are trying to pass this information to the donors. We use donations for the specific purpose a donor requests. We don't use donations for free funeral services in the free clinic. Because of this, we have difficulty in coping with our current predicament. We have no money for the new building. Q: Aren't you collecting donations for the building? A: We are starting soon. We are now preparing to post this information on websites. Q: How many people come to your free charity clinic daily? A: A lot of patients come to our clinic, about 150-200 daily, from morning to night. We provide free treatment including free ultrasound checkups. We have eye-care specialists, physiatrists, pediatricians, obstetricians and gynecologists – to name but some. Q: What is the background of your free funeral service. A: We started with only 12-15 executive members. We followed the steps taken by the pioneer organization in this field, 'Byamaso' in Mandalay. My wife's aunt is a member of that organization and she wanted to establish a similar organization in Rangoon. At the same time (famous film director) uncle U Thu Kha encouraged us to establish such an organization in Rangoon. We started to meet at the residence of U Thu Kha and began the service by pooling money together. U Thu Kha told us his experiences while he was taking treatment at a hospital. A poor and aged lady was taking treatment at the same hospital and some of her relatives came and to see her occasionally. These family members and relatives stopped visiting her when the doctor attending her case told them that her condition was hopeless and to take her back home. So, the hospital had to bury her when she eventually died. Her family members could not afford to feed her, look after her and to bear her medical expenses. Then U Thu Kha said that we, as Buddhists, must establish an organization for these poor and needy people as other faiths do. That is how our service came into existence. Q: What troubles have you had? A: Some people phoned us to come and collect a dead body just to have some fun at their friends' expense. We would later find out that we were fooled only when we saw that the person is alive. Now, we ask our clients for a death certificate and other related documents issued by the Health Department. We send our people only after receiving these documents. At present, we provide services for 40-50 corpses daily free of charge and regardless of social and financial status. Q: What is the most difficult work that you have encountered in your experience with this charity? A: The most difficult thing is the superstitions existing among the people. For example, we must exit a residential area from the right side if we entered the area from the right side. Otherwise, people will think that the people on the left side will die soon. However we can better cope with these problems now, as people are gaining emancipation from old customs and superstitions. Q: Can you say your free funeral service has made progress during these years? A: Yes, we can say that. It has made great progress during these years. In January 2001, we only serviced 40 dead bodies, but by January of this year the number had increased to 1,052 dead bodies that our organization provided service for. We have seen great progress in terms of assistance and services we can provide. Q: What will be the challenges for your organization going forward? A: We cannot foresee the challenges which are lying ahead. We cannot see the future. So we practice as our abbot 'Yaw Saysadaw' preaches. We are doing good deeds so that we can realize a destiny in accordance with our deeds. Q: How many people are working at your free clinic? A: We have two senior nurses and four junior nurses at our clinic. All the doctors at our clinic are providing their services voluntarily and free of charge. This is their charity work, volunteer work, and we aren't required to pay a single penny to them. < Prev   Next >