Photo essay for the Special Initiative “From Fear to Resilience: Visual Storytelling of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia” by SEA Junction and Partners.
| Title: | Video Production on How to Make Face Mask and Alcohol Gel in Ethnic Languages |
| Storyteller/Photographer: | Ban Nai Soi Community Learning Center (BNSCLC) |
| Place: | Mae Hong Son, Thailand |
| Time: | October 2020 – January 2021 |
Photo essay for the Special Initiative “From Fear to Resilience: Visual Storytelling of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia” by SEA Junction and Partners.
Mae Hong Son Province, along Thailand-Myanmar border, is home to ethnically diverse people. They speak many languages including Kayah, Karen, Kayan and Burmese languages. Amid the increasing COVID-19 cases in both countries, Ban Nai Soi Community Learning Center (BNSCLC) noticed a lack of face mask and alcohol gel and no information available on how to address such scarcity. The idea was born to make tutorial videos on COVID-19 in the community languages.
It is well known that wearing a mask can help prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, they are not distributed free to all, and disadvantaged communities often cannot afford proper medical or surgical masks. Cloth masks have become an alternative in combination with social distancing to still prevent the virus, especially in closed spaces. Meanwhile, washing your hands is also key to protecting oneself from the coronavirus, as well as other illnesses like the common cold and seasonal flu. Soap and water should always be a priority, but again in some location they are not available. Hand sanitizer with at least 70% alcohol can then be an alternative.
In Thailand, the government and NGOs have made tutorial videos on how to make the cloth mask and alcohol gel but the language barrier for ethnic and migrant communities remains. The students and teacher at BNSCLC thus decided to produce videos in Kayah, Karen, Kayan and Burmese languages, while also engage students in social activities. Training sessions were conducted for the students. After learning by doing, they prepared the production, wrote the scripts in their own ethnic languages and presented it. To make the face mask, they first prepared the pattern and traced the outline on the fabric pieces before sewing altogether. For the alcohol gel, it started with mixing Carbopol 940 into the clean water, followed with Triethanolamine, Ethy1 Alcohol, glycerin and aloe vera extract. The detailed step-by-step processes for both mask and alcohol gel were then made available in the videos they produced.
In this way, the students learned not only about how to make face masks and alcohol gel but also how to write and translate the script, prepare the production, shoot and edit the video. They are also proud that their videos have been used widely in Thailand and Myanmar. They hope to have contributed to COVID-19 prevention in their communities by making precious information available to ethnic and migrant minorities who otherwise would be excluded from public information.
VDO: How to make cloth mask
- Kayah language: https://youtu.be/cuiUpvjpl04
- Karen https://youtu.be/J11kTBsZN2E
- Kayan https://youtu.be/ei-pMK0Vj80
- Burmese https://youtu.be/Iq7WBK7Not4
VDO: How to make homemade alcohol hand sanitizer
- Kayah language: https://youtu.be/6YR5_miCSmE
- Karen language: https://youtu.be/ZZj_p79ZTDw
- Kayan language: https://youtu.be/ioyyOZUGFV0
- Burmese language: https://youtu.be/BCIma1LjBtg
VDO: How to protect yourself against the COVID-19
- Kayah language: https://youtu.be/m1SU5xZo4p0
- Karen language: https://youtu.be/EyUm_j55EvI
- Kayan language: https://youtu.be/WeCOr-Pv0ug
- Burmese language: https://youtu.be/ePzxEtqQ8DU
Storyteller/Photographer
Ban Nai Soi Community Learning Center (BNSCLC) provides a high school education, practical vocational skills, and community development skills to high school aged children living in Mae Hong Son, Thailand. The students at the BNSCLC are part of the large population living outside of the refugee camps. Not being in the camps leaves the children without any access to high school education. This lack of educational opportunity leaves them with few options which is why the BNSCLC was founded.
Organizers
“From Fear to Resilience: Visual Storytelling of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia” is a special initiative of SEA Junction supported partly by the China Medical Board (CMB) Foundation to promote an alternative narrative of survival, resilience and solidarity. We are asking for short stories in the form of photo essays, short documentaries and illustrated art essays in any language of Southeast Asia (to be later translated into English) or in English. For more background and other stories click here.
This described activity was supported by SEA Junction’s Small Grant Program “Staying Resilient Amid the Pandemic in Southeast Asia” in collaboration with CMB.
SEA Junction
SEA Junction, established under the Thai non-profit organization Foundation for Southeast Asia Studies (ForSEA), aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions- from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 408 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Center or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium), SEA Junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. For more information see www.seajunction.org, join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/1693058870976440/ and follow us on twitter and Instagram @seajunction
Training session for students (Photo by BNSCLC)
The teacher explained how to make the cloth mask (Photo by BNSCLC)
Drawing the pattern of the mask (Photo by BNSCLC)
Tracing the pattern, cutting the fabric (Photo by BNSCLC)
Starting to sew the mask (Photo by BNSCLC)
Using hard paper to make the pattern (Photo by BNSCLC)
Sewing the fabric pieces together (Photo by BNSCLC)
Under the supervision of their teacher (Photo by BNSCLC)
Learning by doing (Photo by BNSCLC)
The face mask is ready to wear (Photo by BNSCLC)
The ingredients of alcohol gel (Photo by BNSCLC)
Mixing it altogether, step by step (Photo by BNSCLC)
Showing the end product with pride (Photo by BNSCLC)
The students wore the ethnic clothes while presenting (Photo by BNSCLC)
Behind the scene, video shooting (Photo by BNSCLC)
