Faces of Burma Part 4

How did this boy end up wearing a shower cap? Good question. It all started innocently enough. Go to Myanmar, see the country, visit the countryside, hike to a remote village that doesn't see a lot of visitors. The people there were living, but access to some household goods and hygiene products was a bit more limited.

Before embarking on the relatively easy hike up to the village, our Burmese guide gave us some shampoo and other products to distribute to the people. That seemed like a good idea, and I"m sure he's done that dozens of times before to great effect. Then, came the chipping in of hotel toiletries, which, in retrospect was probably not so useful. The villagers (and children) were less familiar with those products, didn't know why they needed them, and they were generally wasted quickly in trying to understand what they even wore.

You could say, it was a classic case of giving people what you think they need, or might want, versus what their actual needs are. It's a good lesson, and one that far too many people and governments miss. At least, there was some comedic value in all of this and the kids had fun. The shampoo, toothpaste and such provided by the guide, however, was appreciated and went over better.

At first some confusion, but eventually the shower cap ended up where it belonged.