Ira de Reuver is a freelance photographer from the Netherlands, and a regular contributor to photo-stock agencies and magazines. She shares photos from her trip to Myanmar (Burma).
For 11 years Ira de Reuver has been roaming around Asia, and recently shot photos from the Buddhist Home for Aged People in Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma). She writes:
“It is the custom there that elderly people live with their family. If they don’t have any family left, they are considered and called orphans. This elderly home, The Buddhist Home for Aged People is for orphans. Beautiful people, all; there is only one nurse taking care of more than 80 people, so they take care of each other. They live on donations from Buddhist people. And it is a happy place! Unlike so many elderly homes in the West.”
Ira first visited the Buddhist Home for Aged People ten years ago and, as she puts it, “fell in love” with the people living there. See some of her photos of them here, after the jump.
Elderly women sitting on their beds at the Buddhist Home for Aged People, Mingun, Mandalay, Myanmar (Burma)
The Buddhist Home for Aged People was founded in 1915 and is located in Mingun, a beautiful, peaceful ancient city located along the Ayerwaddy river, one hour by boat from Mandalay. Whenever Ira returned to the area, she visited the Home. A few years ago new accommodations were built thanks to a generous donation from one of its residents.
Elderly men saying thanks for having lunch at the Buddhist home for aged people, Mingun, Mandalay, Myanmar
In the Burmese Buddhist tradition elderly people are usually taken care of by family, they don’t live in retirement homes like we do in the West. But the residents of the Buddhist Home for Aged People don’t have any family members, so they are considered orphans, needing to be taken care of by the community.
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Nurse Htwe Htwe, the driving force at the Buddhist Home for Aged People
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“There is only nurse, Htwe Htwe, to take care of the 80 to 100 people living at the Home. The home is entirely supported from donations given by devout Buddhists and foreign tourists.” -
Still of flowers, prayer beads and a towel at the Buddhist Home for Aged People
How to help:
Ira de Reuver reports that she founded a Netherlands-based foundation, in 2008, to help deserving projects in China, Tibet, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Burma. The foundation has helped the Buddhist Home for Aged People with medicine, bed mats and clothes. Contact Ira and her foundation here:
Action Where Needed
Muldersweg 15
5951 MX Velden
The Netherlands
Look how happy Htwe is! Her picture goes straight to my heart. It's amazing the difference one person can make.
Why not here? Isn't this an interesting question for us to contemplate? I suppose there are many answers to this question. However I would guess that most would end up being ones that try to circumvent the true answer – our priorities are misplaced. What a beautiful example Ira has given us of how compassion over powers all excuses to act. May this story and photos help me be more compassionate today and tomorrow.
I am working to establish a Buddhist retirement center on the West Coast of the US and would like to hear from anyone interested in this concept. Please reply to this message.