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Daw Lillian Gyi
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Daw Lillian Gyi is the co founder of Eden
Handicapped Service Centre Yangon studied Sociology,
Psychology and Anthropology at the University of Yangon.
After graduating she worked as a high school teacher.
She was accepted as a scholarship student in Administration
for Disabled children after working at the Yangon Rehabilitation
Hospital. Her scholarship was in East Germany, so she
went to the University of Leipzig to study German and
then moved to Humboldt University in Berlin, where she
graduated with a Masters degree in Special Education.
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Pictured are some of the
handicapped children who receive medical
care and physical therapy at the Eden Foundation
in Rangoon, Myanmar.
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She returned to Myanmar and opened
the first school in the country for handicapped children
under the Ministry of Social Welfare. She continued
to devote her time to developing the school for Handicapped
children her whole career until retirement at the age
of 60. Upon retirement two years ago together with U
Tha Oke a Physiotherapist they founded Eden Handicapped
Service Centre. The beginnings were very simple. Then
with a grant arrange by the Japanese embassy Grass Roots
foundation, they were able to build a centre to care
for handicapped children from poor neighbourhoods of
the city.
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U.
Tha Oke
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U. Tha Oke studied
physiotherapy at the Institute of Para Medical Sciences
in Yangoon Myanmar, graduating in 1985. He started work
as a physiotherapist in Pakkoku Civil hospital in Central
Myanmar where he worked for seven years. In 1995 he
moved to Penang Malaysia and worked for the Spastic
Children's Association of Penang. After this he moved
to Singapore and worked for the St Luke's hospital for
the elderly where he worked for two years. He qualified
as a member of the Singapore Physiotherapy Association
in 1997.
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An
Eden volunteer giving therapy to a child
who suffers from Cerebral Palsy.
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While in Penang Malaysia he worked
as a volunteer for the Eden Handicapped Service Centre
of Penang. At that time inspired by the work with children
he determined that a centre of that kind would be a
great benefit to the children of his own country and
returned to Myanmar with the intention to start an Eden
Handicapped Service Centre in Yangon.
The Eden Handicapped center serves the
poorer population in Yangoon. At the center they provide
therapy for children who have cerebral Palsy and assist
parents in how to help their handicapped children. They
also engage in fieldwork. They go and visit the handicapped
child and provide on sight therapy and guidance to the
parents.
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The
Japanese ambassador to Myanmar at the handing
over ceremony in April 2002
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The Eden Handicapped Service Centre is
a privately sponsored NPO. They rely on outside help
to provide medical assistance to the handicapped and
under privileged. The funding for their medical assistance
comes from concerned people in the private sector..
It is in this capacity that the Japanese embassy in
Yangoon has helped them with a grant towards the construction
of their facility.
They have a sponsorship program in which
it is possible to play an active role in helping the
underprivileged of society.
It will cost about 25,000 Yen per year
to sponsor one child; this includes providing nutritional
food, transport from their slum area to the handicapped
school daily, physiotherapy, and teaching.
Outside of this they are in need of a
vehicle to transport the patients to and from the center.
Your help is greatly needed and will make a great difference
in the lives of those affected.
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