Despite her severely impaired eyesight, Bunsiri
has had the fortitude to overcome physical abuse
early on and tackle daily obstacles that plague
visually impaired people. Now, she's focused on a
new dream _ a centre to teach blind children how
to lead similarly independent lives
* Published:
<http://www.bangkokpost.com//search/news-and-article?xDate=23-12-2012&xAdvanceSearch=true>23/12/2012
at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section:
<http://www.bangkokpost.com//search/news-and-article?xNewsSection=Spectrum&xAdvanceSearch=true>Spectrum
Bunsiri was 15 when she ran away from home.
Despite having only 20% vision she had been doing
well at school. With the help of her stepfather
Bunsiri had fought for years to go to school and had learned to read and write.
[]
BIG WORDS AND BIG DREAMS: Bunsiri reads bilingual
phrases in an extra large and high contrast font
from a computer screen. She taught herself
English and became an assistant teacher.
Bunsiri credits her stepfather with getting her
out of the confines of the house and into school.
"The local government school would not take me.
They said they couldn't look after me. I would be
too much trouble. I was sad, but I understood. I
couldn't see the blackboard, the teacher had 50
kids to look after and could not spend her time
paying special attention to one blind kid."
Bunsiri said when she was 11, her village in
Northeast Thailand decided to build a small
dirt-floor, bamboo-walled school on local temple
land. It gave her stepfather, a carpenter, the
opportunity to apply pressure to the school to accept Bunsiri as a student.
"Pa said he would help build it if they took me
in. I was 11. The teacher said she would give me
a two-week trial. I could barely read or write.
"My cousins would recite their books out loud and I memorised them."
Bunsiri managed to fool the teacher for about two
weeks, but was eventually found out when the
teacher asked her to read at random passages from a book.
"She knew I couldn't read, but the teacher was
impressed by my memory _ I was top of the class
in maths _ I could recite all the tables."
The death of her stepfather, when she was 12, was a big blow for Bunsiri.
"I was lost without him. My stepdad was such a
good guy. I missed him. He did everything to get me into school."
Despite her limited vision Bunsiri was doing well
at school. She could read and write Thai, was top
of the class in maths and she was able to
navigate herself along the three-kilometre
mountain track that took her from home to school.
"Our school was basic _ dirt floor and bamboo
walls, but the teacher cared. That was important."
When she turned 15, Bunsiri's life took a turn
for the worse when her mother remarried a man who
would go on to sexually molest her.
"I was alone with my new stepfather, he was
drunk, he pushed me down. I managed to grab a
gardening knife [machete] _ I told him I would
kill him. He said he was joking and pleaded with
me not to tell mum as she was pregnant."
Bunsiri did not tell her mother of her
stepfather's sexual attack. Before she had time
to absorb the betrayal by her adult carer she
would again be targeted. The next day, as Bunsiri
was on her way back from school, her friend's uncle ambushed her.
''I was walking home from school. I was alone, my
friend was sick. Her uncle attacked me. I could
not recognise his face, but I did recognise his
voice. He dragged me into the bushes and threw me
on the ground. I wrestled him off and ran. He
chased me and I picked up a large stone. I could
hear him behind. I hit him in the face _ he bled everywhere.''
Bunsiri said she was fortunate she had someone she could confide in.
[]
Ma Nut Khun Sanit, office coordinator of the Committee for DisabilityTak.
''Next day I told my teacher and she called the
police and took me to an orphanage for my safety.
Mum thought it was because of the second attack.
I kept quiet about my stepdad for the family's
sake. My stepdad wanted me to come home and I knew why.''
Bunsiri returned to the family home after a short
stay at the orphanage, and attempted to tell her
family about the assault on her by her stepfather.
''I told mum she had to choose between us. Mum
ignored me _ she thought I was making the story
up. I was upset. My grandma said if I left I
would not be let back in. I ran out and cried all
the way back to the orphanage.''
Bunsiri did not see her family for more than a year.
''Most kids went home for holidays, I didn't.''
Bunsiri was to stay at the orphanage for 12
years. In that time she worked in the laundry for
seven and a half years, became a cook,
housemother and looked after volunteer staff.
''I cooked for 50 kids. The gas was a problem, I
nearly burned the house down. I love cooking. I
don't need to see everything. I smell garlic _
fresh is different from cooked, but cutting onions makes me cry.
''When I started work at the orphanage I earned
500 baht a month. By the time I left at 27, I was getting 3,000 baht.''
TEACHING HERSELF
Despite the limited resources available to
Bunsiri at the orphanage and besides working she was also busy learning.
''It was hard. I self-studied. My eyesight was
getting worse. I learned to read and write
English from foreign volunteer teams who helped
out at the orphanage. I had no dictionary. I
would write down English words I heard spoken and
then ask for their meaning. I became the only one
at the orphanage who could speak English.''
After she left the orphanage Bunsiri moved to
Chiang Mai and worked as an assistant teacher in
a bilingual school for two years.
''I did everything. I worked in the nursery for
one month. It was a nightmare. I couldn't handle
the vomit or the kids' poop _ it made me sick. I
used to hose the kids down _ they loved it. The
other kids would try to poop just to get hosed.
They'd run and scatter like crabs, and my eyes couldn't get a focus on them.''
Bunsiri says the work and her time spent at the
bilingual school were good times.
''The couple who ran it treated me like family. I
had a good time there. By the time I left, my pay was 5,800 baht.''
Bunsiri described what it is like to have only 20% vision to rely on.
''I can see the outlines of big buildings, I can
see faces, but no details. I can't see smiles,
blinks or when people pull faces. I can't
remember faces, but I do recognise voices. I
can't see steps when I'm walking. I use my feet
when I clean to feel for dust and dirt.''
Doctors told Bunsiri the damage in her eyes is
progressing and one day she will be totally
blind, but that did not stop her from applying to
a degree programme at Khon Kaen University in 2009.
''I knew exactly what I wanted to study. I knew I
would not fail. I studied hard. I also passed the
entrance exam to study at a university overseas,
but I could not afford to go to the interview in
Bangkok. I only had 500 baht, just enough to get
me to the interview at Khon Kaen University.''
In October this year Bunsiri completed her
degree, majoring in English. She is one of 352
blind people to have attended a Thai university.
''I am so proud that Her Royal Highness Princess
Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will present me with my degree early next year.''
Bunsiri is a small woman, but determined, despite
the hard knocks she has endured, to achieve her
goal of opening a learning centre for
disadvantaged visually impaired children in Mae Sot.
''My life has been hard, but I wouldn't change
it. My experience is precious. An easy life
doesn't teach you anything _ usually it is all
about you. My life has taught me that I don't
want to be blind on the inside as well as on the outside.''
Bunsiri's record of overcoming adversity is proof
that she refuses to give in or take no for an
answer. Bunsiri says she has learned that it is
critical that blind children learn to be independent.
''You've got to find a way to still work when
life is s****y. Blind children deserve a chance
to learn and lead full lives _ they love making
friends, if given the chance, they're capable of
getting through the apathy that surrounds them.''
BUILDING A DREAM
''If blind people can't help themselves they are
lost to the world. They have to get out of the
dark corners. I was told people used to describe
blind people as 'dead bodies that can breathe and
walk'. Blind people only have one choice to get
beyond that discrimination _ education.''
Bunsiri explained that it is hard for parents,
especially poor ones, to work and look after their blind children.
Health workers in Thailand say many blind people
have to depend on family or neighbours for help.
Bunsiri agreed and said it is rare for blind
people to be properly trained to become independent.
''I've been told of cases where there is no one
to stay and look after a blind kid, and people
have tied them up and left them with rice and
water while they went out or to work. It's done
to stop the kid from getting hurt. The blind
don't know what to do and the ones with sight don't know how to help.''
Bunsiri said that being blind in rural Thailand is especially tough.
''Blind kids are either ignored, shoved in a
corner or over-protected _ even the big kids,
their parents carry them everywhere. This teaches
them nothing about how to live functional and independent lives.''
She said it is still difficult for her to
navigate her way around her own home. If keys are
moved or new objects left on the floor, it
presents problems, and fans, gas cookers, fires,
candles, finding and pouring water all present
special challenges. ''It's labour intensive. For
the uneducated, it's hard getting started,'' said Bunsiri.
A casual walk around any Thai town quickly turns
into an obstacle course even for those with
perfect sight and nimble feet. Crumbling
footpaths, missing drain covers, motorbikes, food
vendors, hot oil filled woks, boiling soup pots,
haphazardly erected signs, stray soi dogs, tree
roots and pot holes all test the most able-bodied of walkers.
''Pavements are a nightmare. Some people just
don't have a clue even if they have a heart to
help. Car drivers flash their lights, but blind kids can't see.''
Bunsiri said many people, when they realise she
has limited vision, do try to help.
''Shopkeepers and market sellers are helpful, but
you do have to know your own limitations, how far
you can push it and to ask for help when you need it.''
Bunsiri says it is important that blind children
are taught how to tell their right from their left.
''Learning to use a stick is important, as it
tells you where the drains are, it tells drivers
to slow and where hazards are.''
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
Bunsiri's slight frame is not in proportion to
the courage or the strength she has shown in
battling and overcoming the many hardships life
has thrown her way. But now she faces her
stiffest challenge as she reaches out to her
dream of opening a learning centre in the Thai
border town of Mae Sot to teach blind children how to lead independent lives.
''I've got the house, I'm now looking for staff.
It's not softness I'm after, many blind kids get
that already _ they need to be pushed. I've got
enough funding to start. I need about 34,000 baht
a month to keep it open for eight live-in students.''
Bunsiri insists all children attending her centre
will undergo a stringent health check to make
sure that their visual impairment is given every opportunity to be treated.
''At 16, I was told by a doctor that it was too
late to get corrective surgery _ I don't want other kids to miss out.''
World Health Organisation Fact Sheet 282 on
blindness backs-up Bunsiri's judgement on the
necessity of having health checks. It states that
''uncorrected refractive errors are the main
cause of visual impairment; cataracts remain the
leading cause of blindness in middle- and
low-income countries ... 80% of all visual
impairment can be avoided or cured''.
Seeing is Believing, a UK-based organisation that
delivers eye care globally, estimates on its
website that ''there are about 150,000
permanently blind people in Thailand. The main
reasons for their blindness are cataract,
glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. Access to
affordable surgery is clearly an issue in
Thailand. There are 6,000 patients waiting for
surgery, yet 175,000 people are visually impaired
people in the country _ many of these are in need
of surgery.'' The organisation is a collaboration
between Standard Chartered Bank and the
International Agency for Prevention of Blindness
set up to help eradicate avoidable blindness around the world.
'WE CAN'T DO IT ALONE'
Well-fed stray dogs mark off territory in the
grounds of Wat Luang. Attached to the side of the
main prayer hall, a small sign at the back of the
room indicates that this is the office of the
''Committee for Disability _ Tak''.
Behind a polished wooden desk sits Ma Nut Khun
Sanit, the office coordinator and volunteer who
explains that he runs a ''one-stop service for
people in five local districts with disabilities''.
The office is sparse. A pink telephone sits
alongside a battered radio on the desk. Numerous
photos line the walls. Mr Ma Nut detailed how he
helps local people to register their disability,
find wheelchairs, walking sticks and explain to
people how to apply for government benefits and pensions.
The Office of the National People with
Disabilities (Thailand) states on its website
that there are 6,795 people in Tak province with
disabilities and 544 of them are blind. Mr Mr Ma
Nut has been legally blind for 34 of his 76 years
after losing his sight in a car accident.
''I was a public servant in Bangkok. I lost my
job when I lost my sight. It took me six years to
accept that I was blind. It was hard, and I was
frustrated, but I was not alone. There are many
people who are blind. It was hard on my family. I
had four young kids, that drove me to get up and
fight and to stop feeling sorry for myself.''
Mr Ma Nut strongly supports Bunsiri's desire to
open a learning centre for blind children.
''Loneliness is the biggest burden for the blind,
being left at home alone and not being able to
mix with people. Blind people need to be self-reliant.''
Mr Ma Nut says what Bunsiri is doing will be of benefit to the community.
''Bunsiri could be the beginning. If she is
successful, it could open the way for the
government to do more for the blind. Thai people have to support her.
''Local blind people need help, we can't do it alone.''
[]
DISCERNING SHOPPER: Bunsiri tests fresh produce
like these chillies by feel and smell to make
sure she gets top quality goods. Despite her
sight limitations she is extremely independent.
[]
URBAN OBSTACLES OVERCOME: Above, Bunsiri is all
smiles as she takes a break to enjoy a drink and
chat at a local tea shop. Top, buying vegetables at the market.
About the author
columnist
Writer:
<http://www.bangkokpost.com//search/news-and-article?xAuthor=374&xAdvanceSearch=true>Phil
ThorntonPosition: Writer
with warm regards
Mahendra Galani
skype ID chintu3886
phone +4314943149 mobile +4369910366055,
address Herbst strasse 101.16.1 Vienna Austria Europe
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