Amidst a cluster of whitewashed buildings brimming with medical patients, families, and medics, a hidden gem shines at Mae Tao Clinic. It is the Child Recreation Center (CRC) and it is the hub of child life at this village of a clinic. Whatever unhappy circumstances bring the children to the clinic in the first place, the Child Recreation Center is a safe space for kids to be kids.
The CRC is a brand new department at Mae Tao Clinic, born from a request by Dr. Cynthia for Burma Border Projects to further the development of child and youth psychosocial services at MTC and its surrounding community. The Child Recreation Center attends to children's development and psychosocial wellbeing, thus fulfilling a critical gap in the multitude of services provided by MTC. BBP has been involved in every stage of the new venture, from the physical construction of the building and its outdoor playgrounds, to establishing a daily schedule of games and creative activities meant to meet the physical and psychosocial needs of the children.
BBP provides weekly training to CRC staff in child development, childhood trauma, childcare work, and therapeutic practices. The seven women on the CRC staff come from a variety of ethnic communities in Burma and speak nine languages altogether. This incredible diversity is a comfort to children of many different backgrounds. Staff members are taught to efficiently keep records of the children, plan activities, and organize daily schedules—all skills essential for successfully running a child Center.
BBP recognizes and prioritizes the needs of children at the Center. The purpose of the CRC is to provide a “fun, learning, and caring” environment for children to play and feel appreciated. Furnished from floor to ceiling with toys, art, books, and children's brightly-colored artwork, it is clear that life at the CRC is in full swing. It is a steadfast and nurturing environment, in which the staff addresses a broad spectrum of developmental and psychosocial needs through children's preferred media of expression: play, art, and creativity. We currently open the Center to children between the ages of 4 and 12 years who are in-patients or whose family members are in-patients of the Clinic. We host morning and afternoon sessions of two to three hours each for children to partake in arts and crafts, music, storytelling, library time, free play either inside or outdoors on the playground, and educational games pertaining to social, health, and hygienic issues. For health needs (e.g. dental, hearing, eye, and skin problems) beyond the scope of the CRC, the staff works with parents to refer the child to the appropriate departments within Mae Tao Clinic.
Through the Child Recreation Center, BBP provides support to the other MTC departments in managing difficult child cases. As the skills and capacity of CRC staff develop, so will their capacity to manage, comfort, and support children and families dealing with challenging or distressing behavior. Most important is the CRC staff's ability to provide a safe and caring environment where children always come first.
BBP is dedicated to the development of sustainable psychosocial health services for children and youth beyond Mae Tao Clinic as well. BBP provides support and technical consultation to child protection initiatives and agencies, community-based organizations, boarding house staff, schoolteachers, and students. Awareness and skills-building trainings/workshops have addressed such topics as: how to understand, identify, and manage childhood trauma and abuse; effective communication techniques with children in distress; the use of play therapy and other therapeutic tools with children and young people; and coping strategies around personal and work stress, including discrimination and anger.