Myanmar, a country in Southeast Asia formerly known as Burma, is no stranger to violence, as it is still reeling after decades of civil war. Now even more violence is plaguing the region.
The primarily Buddhist government of Myanmar is aiming to drive out the muslim Rohingya population, as they claim these people are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
The Rohingya claim that their ancestors once lived in the region, and that they should be allowed citizenship, but the government has responded with acts of violence carried out by members of the military. This has included murder, rape, and burning entire villages to the ground.
Approximately 900,000 Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh, many settling into refugee camps.
This crisis, which the UN has declared a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing," inspired one Okanagan resident to lend some much-needed assistance.
34-year-old Crystal Grymaloski, a nurse from Vernon, always had an interest in lending medical help to countries in need, so when she got a rare opportunity to visit Bangladesh for 3 weeks, she jumped at the chance. There, she worked in two different medical clinics, helping treat wounded refugees.
During her time in Bangladesh, she helped treat many gruesome injuries, from gunshot wounds and severe burns to malnoutrition, attributed to either acts of violence by Myanmar military members, or the poor conditions in the nearby camps.
Despite this, Grymaloski was extremely grateful to have been able to be a part of such a vital cause, and to experience such a rich culture.
"Probably the main thing that I took away from it is the beauty of the Rohingya people and their culture," says Grymaloski. "You hear the term 'Rohingya' and it's a buzz word at the moment, but now I have some very strong feelings attached to that, and they're very positive feelings."
Grymaloski plans to continue working in disaster and war torn countries in the future, lending her medical experience where it is needed most.