It is not unusual for 45-year-old Sister Ann Rose Nu Tawng, from the Sisters of St. Francis Xavier in Myanmar, to risk her life.
“I have no fear of dying even if I may get infected with the Covid-19 virus,” Sister Nu Tawng said in between nursing patients at a Church-run care centre in Myanmar’s remote Kachin state.
In February, in an image that resonated around the world, Sister Nu Tawng was seen kneeling in front of police in Myitkyina, Kachin state, trying to protect young protesters seeking refuge at the clinic where she works after the country was rocked by public unrest against the military coup [Sunday Examiner, March 28]. She repeated the brave act in March.
She has since shifted her focus to helping sick patients from pandemic-stricken villages that health workers cannot reach. Donning personal protective equipment [PPE], the nun is determined to give moral and medical support to victims.
From early morning until late evening, Sister Nu Tawng is preoccupied at the clinic where people with symptoms of Covid-19 rush from the nearby villages to get tested and treated.
‘I don’t feel tired despite being preoccupied with daily tasks. I feel this is my duty’
Sister Nu Tawng
Many rural people who have contracted the virus have no other option as state-run hospitals are turning them away due to a lack of health workers and beds.
“I can’t sit idle. I have seen the difficulties people are facing on the ground,” the nun said.
Since June, she has regularly reached out to Buddhist and Christian houses in nearby villages, and also health camps around Myitkyina, to help people with Covid-19 tests, oxygen support and blood pressure checks, besides counselling them.
Her mobile phone keeps ringing throughout the day as people call for help. “I don’t feel tired despite being preoccupied with daily tasks. I feel this is my duty,” she said.
The only difficulty the Kachin nun faces is in breathing freely along with the heavy sweating caused by the PPE suit she wears for long hours.
She prefers to sleep at the clinic with the other health staff instead of returning to her community house, for the safety of the others, especially the elderly nuns staying there.
With their limited funds, the Church-run centres provide medical support free of charge to all those in need.
“We don’t take any fees from those who cannot afford it,” Sister Nu Tawng said, stressing that the effort was just a small act of charity and there were many people at the forefront in battling the Covid-19 crisis in the country.
“It’s just a small act of showing love and care. I believe we need to do something for the people while we are living,” she said.
I could have died when I confronted the security forces and I could also die now by contracting the deadly virus,
Sister Nu Tawng
The nun’s act of solidarity comes as Myanmar faces a worsening Covid-19 crisis on top of the political and economic crisis brought about by the February 1 military coup [Sunday Examiner, February 7].
The country’’s health system has virtually collapsed and hospitals are barely functioning as many doctors and nurses have joined the mass civil disobedience movement.
Sister Nu Tawng inspired people around the world with her fearless acts of standing between security forces and unarmed young protesters during the crackdowns in February and March.
Her actions also got the attention of Pope Francis who, at the end of a general audience on March 17, said, “I, too, kneel on the streets of Myanmar and say, ‘Stop the violence.’ I, too, spread wide my arms and say, ‘Make way for dialogue’” [Sunday Examiner, March 28].
For the nun, who has worked in Myitkyina in since 2010, her role during the Covid-19 crisis is not much different from her earlier one during the political unrest.
“I could have died when I confronted the security forces and I could also die now by contracting the deadly virus,” she observed.
Her message to the outside world is simple: “Please pray for my work, for the people and continue your prayers even if I pass away.” UCAN
