The children’s medical clinic formally opened on 24th November 2015 with much pomp and ceremony. All the village elders were invited, and all the teachers and children also participated. Dressed in colourful ethnic costumes everyone danced and sang together to the local music. There were food stalls and Ko Yin mineral water was sold by the bucket full! It was a festival.
On the same day The Inle Trust commissioned the building of 24 toilets, 10 showers and improvements in the girls bathing areas. So this was a dual celebration.
Phongyi gave a most inspirational speech and also asked me to speak. I wanted to emphasise that although I stood here today and enjoyed the praise, this was not possible without the support of my family and the help of so many people in many countries who had read about the children and donated both money and services to this cause. I wanted to thank them as they, the children, thanked me. It was a very emotional occasion and there was a realisation that if we got the workings of the clinic right this could be a turning point in the health and welfare of the children and the villagers.
