Backpack Medics: Chit Win, Jungle Medic
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Planet Care
801 Cedar Street
Suite 200
Berkeley, CA 94710
510-594-4027
info@planetcare.org
Chit Win, in the center, is wearing the traditional clothing of his tribe, the Karen people. Chit's ready smile and warm heart belie the atrocities he has seen his family and friends endure.Chit Win is a Burmese refugee who courageously served his people as a medic in the jungles along the Thai-Burma border for eight years. He built and ran a hospital in a small village that served close to 10,000 villagers in the surrounding area.
In 1988, Chit Win was a student at Rangoon University. That year, he, his classmates, and many others began to march for democracy in the streets of Rangoon. The military's reaction was violent, and many people were imprisoned or killed. Chit fled to the Thai-Burma border, where he met Dr. Cynthia Maung and became one of the first medics at her clinic.
For eight years, Chit dedicated his life to being a medic at Dr. Cynthia's clinic. He also worked with Dr. Ben Brown and the mobile medical teams to bring health care to the refugees living in the jungles along the border. Then, due to his popularity and visibility, Chit became a target of the Burmese military and was forced to leave the country.
On this trip, Chit Win and Tho Ya hiked 10 miles a day between villages while on a mobile medical team mission.With Planet Care's help, Chit moved to Sebastopol to live near Dr. Ben Brown, Planet Care's founder. He trained with the Red Cross to be a nurse's assistant and home-health aide.
Chit has since become an American citizen. He recently graduated from U.C. Davis with a degree in Managerial Economics. He is now working as a loan processor in a local bank and helping Planet Care to raise money to bring medical supplies and assistance to Dr. Cynthia's clinic. He is married and has one young child, Aye Chan.
His courage, positive attitude and deep caring are an inspiration to everyone who meets him. Of his friendship with Chit, Dr. Brown says, "Chit Win is my Burmese brother. International work is about making friends and doing what you can to help each other.
Copyright Planet Care
