Clarity for Naing Lin
September 2004
By: Lay Phoprasobchok
GCA met Naing Lin just as he was about to turn 13. He lives at home with his siblings and is cared for by his single mom. As the oldest of several children, Naing Lin is the one his mother turns to when she needs an extra set of hands around the house. At times, Naing Lin is needed to care for his younger siblings instead of going to school which has resulted in him falling behind his peers in his studies and academic abilities. Another hardship that Naing Lin faces because of his family situation is isolation from friends and a lack of social interaction with his peers.
On the occasion that Naing Lin was able to attend school, he began showing signs of aggression which escalated to a physical altercation with a classmate. GCA’s Thailand team was able to meet with Naing Lin, his mother, his teacher, and other involved parties where a discovery was made.
Naing Lin was being bullied by his classmates.
GCA’s social workers scheduled counseling sessions with Naing Lin to assist him in navigating the bullying situation and offered support to him and his mother. During these sessions, it became clear that Naing Lin had many behavioral issues to address and work toward healing. Our team was ready to be there for Naing Lin and his family and planned to meet regularly with him.
GCA’s team is constantly on the lookout for the needs of a child that must be addressed. These needs can range from obvious, to not easily detected, or hidden completely from the naked eye. During Naing Lin’s counseling sessions and other informal interactions with him, our staff keenly noticed that he often blinked his eyes rapidly; especially when focusing on something or reading. Realizing that a vision issue can be debilitating, GCA’s staff took Naing Lin to a clinic for an eye examination. The results of this visit showed Naing Lin to be severely nearsighted which was impacting his quality of life significantly.
GCA was able to cover the cost of glasses for Naing Lin. A seemingly simple fix that made a world of difference in his life!
For those reading this story with corrected vision, can you remember seeing clearly for the first time? Hopefully your need for glasses was identified early before it impacted other areas of your life.
For Naing Lin, everything changed when he was finally able to see. He was able to get more out of his school day because he could focus on his teacher and his studies. His behavior issues at school all but disappeared because he was engaged in learning. He doesn’t feel lost anymore or left behind academically, and he is building positive relationships with his peers.
Glasses. Could that really be all that Naing Lin needed? Of course not. This is why GCA maintains a clear vision of our mission that every child deserves to be seen, known, and have their needs met within a loving, supportive, protective family. GCA is an organization of invested “noticers”- individuals who are committed to getting to the root of the issue and to meet the needs which are crying out to be met.