This is a letter from Andrea Russell, an amazing
woman i met through my friend Zamir, while i was in
Thailand. She is an artist and activist who is
doing great things to help kids in refugee camps by
providing some joy with a traveling circus show.
LETTER FROM ANDREA RUSSELL
May 2008
I have been getting a lot of questions from people
about how to get aid to Burma when the govt there is
blocking so much of the foreign aid... And heard a
lot of people saying there is nothing we can do.
Well, there is. !!!
First off, some of the large
aid organizations are there and working hard. The
red cross is, and world vision. So those are two you
can deal with if you want to help in that way. you
can find there sites and donate online. I think Paul
mentions some others in his email below...
Also, you might want to
direct your support to organizations I know of that
will be helping people that make it from Burma into
Thailand as refugees( some have already arrived, and
I am sure it is ongoing) I am sure some of you who
have been in touch with me have become aware that
there are hundreds of thousands of Burmese refugees
all along the Thai border! It is a very huge
problem, lots of people trapped in poor conditions.
You can check out two NGO's
I know of that work with these people:
This organization does many things, but the part I
know most about is supporting the children refugees
from Burma that escaped the war against the tribal
people in that region. They have a very cool and
important Adopt A School program , check it out on
their website. It helps them provide the running
costs schools for the illegal migrant children, so
they will have some acess to education. You would be
amazed at how much impact a small amount of money
can have! You can donate to through their website.
Lena, a worker with the program in Mae Sot also
suggested people try to send support to the
Mae
Tao Clinic, Mae Sot
Mae Tao Clinic has set up an Emergency Assistance
Team. You can check out their webpage:
www.maetaoclinic.org
They will be needing medical
resources desperately. They are a clinic also
working with Burmese refugees.
Lastly, here is an idea from
Paul, who works with the
Mirror Foundation, an NGO in Northern
Thailand. He has an idea of how to get money and
goods directly to the people, using some of the
Burmese students in Chiang Mai who are returning in
the next few week. I post his proposal below.
Please be cautious about forwarding it or posting it
due to the bank info. He is willing to have it there
because he is aware that people will need to act
immediately to get the funds in place before the
students go.
Please, try to help if you
can. Many of these people were pretty desperate even
before this disaster. And the death tolls, and the
illness and displacement, keeps rising with each
count, to staggering proportions. It makes me so sad
for all my friends there, and the friends who work
to help, who are now so exhausted. Best wishes
to you all, do what you can, and good luck!
The info from Paul is here:
About a week ago Tropical
Cyclone Nargis stuck Myanmar. Approximately 50,000
people have already died and another 50,000 are
missing.
Estimates of over a million
people are reported homeless and exposed to the
elements. Possibly over half the dead and missing
are children, who were easily swept out of the arms
of their parents.
As I am writing this another
tropical storm is hitting coastal Myanmar. Without
doubt it is killing and injuring more people and
causing more destruction.
As well as the accompanying
winds, the cyclone caused a large wave and
torrential rain which has caused flooding. Large
areas of Myanmar's rice crop have been wiped out.
Schools and hospitals have been destroyed.
Currently there is a large threat of disease
spreading amongst the survivors as dead bodies of
humans and animals remain rotting waiting to be
cleared. Many of the survivors do not have adequate
shelter and they are unable to feed themselves or
get clean drinking water. Even in normal times most
people of Myanmar have very little access to medical
care, so we can assume most are currently getting no
medical help during this emergency.
The situation for many is
desperate and they are in need of immediate
assistance. But the problems will be ongoing and
will require longer term help also.
Unfortunately aid largely
isn't getting into Myanmar. The Myanmar government
hasn't accepted many of the offers of help.
Quantities of food, shelter, medicines and water are
sitting, waiting to get into Myanmar with the
International teams of relief workers.
There has been great concern
among the people in the world and many want to
help. But the world's interest will remain for only
a short period before a Hollywood drama or a new
episode of reality TV draws people's attention away
from the suffering of the Burmese.
Something needs to happen
now in order to bring assistance to the people
suffering in Myanmar. I have been searching
for alternative ways to get help to the Burmese
people.
There is a group of Burmese
students studying at Payap University in Chiang
Mai. They have recently used their Burmese student
organization as a way to gather donations that they
will soon take to Myanmar and distribute.
These Burmese students are
about to go back to Myanmar. The first to leave
will go on the 14th of May. The second group wave
will go on 2 and 3 June.
Almost all of these young
students are from the affected areas and have family
and friends in those areas now. They too have been
angrily watching the stalled efforts to get
International aid into Myanmar.
Today Kanchana, Kitty and I
met with one of their lecturers to discuss this
group and their efforts. They are more than 20
students, amongst the group are some Burmans from
Rangoon, but most of the group are ethnic Karen and
Kayin people from near Myaung Mya (please see
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/BKK145598.htm)
who have been given scholarships to attend
university in Thailand. Their lecturer is convinced
of their sincerity, desire and ability to help the
people in need regardless of religion, race or
otherwise. One member of the group has already
returned carrying medicine. He arrived and passed
through customs with no problems and has been
distributing his supplies.
These young people are not
professional emergency relief workers. But they are
locals. They know the language. They know the
culture. They know what people eat and how they live
and how to get around. They have local
networks. And currently they seem one of the best
options for getting help to people in need in
Myanmar.
From donors in Thailand (if
you can get equipment to me or to Payap University):
Needed is plastic sheeting (for shelter), ropes,
water purification tablets or iodine, cooking sets,
mosquito nets, first aid kits, food and fuel.
For donors anywhere else –
please send money so we can purchase these items.
Some items can be purchased
in Myanmar but there are shortages and the prices
are high and rising. The current plan is to get
most items in Thailand for the students to carry
back. But some money may also be sent.
Please send money to:
Bangkok Bank (Tel. (66)022314333)
Account Name: Mr Paul Duncan Garrioch
Branch: 192 Suan Siam (Thailand)
Or if I know you and you are
in Australia – please contact me for my Commonwealth
Bank details.
Donations directly to the
group can go to Payap University in Chiang Mai, room
G103, International Graduate College building.
With any money sent, please
also send me an email to tell me how much you have
sent.
Banking fees and my
transport costs and time; I will donate. All the
money you send will go to helping the people in
need.
If I receive so much money
that we overwhelm the capacity of this group; I will
find more ways to get aid directly and quickly to
people suffering in Myanmar. The more interest
there is, the more opportunities will arise.
In case of unlikely and
unforeseen circumstances (for example the Myanmar
government stopping this method): half the money I
have will go immediately to UNICEF and the Red Cross
who are currently operating in Myanmar. I will keep
the other half for no more than 1 month while
waiting to see how the situation develops and
judging what the best alternatives are. Then the
money will go to what I determine is the best way to
get aid directly to people in need following the
cyclone.
Accountability – The group
are committed to distributing their aid in a fully
accountable way. I will continue to be in contact
with this group and monitor things as best I can and
I intend to try to get a visa to enter Myanmar
around 2 June to witness their actions.
With limited money,
communications and time, the whole process isn't
going to be done in a bureaucratic manner that
accounts for every cent and every grain of rice.
But as these people are from villages that have been
badly affected, I think it is safe to assume the aid
will get to people in need. My aim is therefore to
try to ensure it gets to as many people as possible
and to the neediest as priority. We will try to get
photos and some sort of report back to you as we
progress. I will do my best to answer any questions
you have.
If you have a desire to help
the people in Myanmar, please do. Even small
amounts will help and everything adds up. Please
pass this email on to others. Please discuss it at
work or school and act as a collection point for
your friends' donations, before passing the items or
money on to me. For most of you, there will not be
a chance to get donations onto the 14th of May
flights. So please aim to get me money in plenty of
time prior to 1 June, then we can use that to buy
items which will then go with the students to be
directly taken to the places that need help.