A Letter to Our Donors
We sent the following letter to all of our donors thanking them for their kind contribution, and describing where the funds went. Sad you didn’t get this message in your inbox? Don’t be! Just give a donation of any amount and we’ll include you in our next mailing!
Dear Donors,
We can’t thank you enough for your generosity! Because of your contributions, Better Burma has been able to accomplish a lot, and we want to update you about two areas in particular.
First, we have been able to provide substantial relief to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) throughout the country. Through our in-country staff, support has been given to camps in Kayin, Kayah, Sagaing and Chin states. The following is the full list of items your generous contributions have made possible (number of units distributed in parenthesis):
Tooth brushes, (3,250), Bandages (2,090), Soap (1,970), Mosquito spray (1,000), Tooth paste (1,000), Blankets (960), Hand gel (736), Mosquito nets (586), Power banks (350), Umbrellas (298), Water proof mats (253), Flashlights/Torches (173), First aids kits (102), Linen sets (101), Flashlights/Torches (173), Water filters (66)
According to the United Nations, as of the end of September, 2021, about 241,000 displaced persons remain in camps or camp-like situations after fleeing violence caused by the Burmese military. At the camps, 77% are women and children, in addition to the many elderly and disabled. IDPs continue to require special attention and/or support for a variety of reasons, amongst them armed conflict, statelessness, movement restriction and malnutrition. Although living in an IDP camp is never easy, and often very difficult, your support has enabled us to help alleviate their situation even a little.
Better Burma would not be able to accomplish our mission without the help of our courageous local team. Throughout the last few months, they have coordinated with our partners, delivering and distributing medical aid to the vulnerable in various ethnic areas. Very often they had to go through military checkpoints and traverse conflict zones during the notoriously challenging monsoon season. We have the deepest gratitude for these brave delivery teams!
The second area we wanted to update you on regards Covid relief. The third wave of pandemic hit Myanmar hard. Increasing infection rates, a shortage of oxygen supplies and inadequate healthcare have left people literally fighting to breathe. The situation was devastating, and the military’s response has only exacerbated the situation. To support the Burmese people during this difficult time, Better Burma managed to purchase and distribute fifteen Oxygen Concentrators and twenty Oxygen bags. Our Covid relief donations are now being managed and monitored by our reliable contacts in a number of clinics and communities.
One would think that getting such crucial medical supplies into the country would be a priority, even in spite of the coup. But this was not the case. To place an order to acquire a reliable Oxygen Concentrator, and ensure a timely delivery, was a challenge due to a worldwide supply shortage, as well as the situation on the ground in Myanmar. And even after the packages are received, their storage and the distribution is challenging, and sometimes dangerous, due to the junta’s counterproductive, irrational and even evil policies.
But in the end, we were successful getting our relief supplies into reliable hands so that more and more Covid victims can benefit from your donations. There is nothing more rewarding than literally helping keep someone breathing! When we received the ‘thank you’ messages from the beneficiaries of our donations, our hearts were filled with joy. It was worth all the effort. Many thanks to the generosity of our donors as well as the help of our friends, our local team, and our partners!
As the military coup enters its 9th month, the needs of the people on the ground remain as dire and urgent as ever before. We tell their stories through our ongoing podcast series, and local groups continue to contact us regularly to request support for the increasing hardships they are facing. We are doing all we can to continue helping them, but we can’t do so without your generous support! So we thank you once again for allowing us to carry out this mission, and we invite your continued contribution to aid the Burmese people at this hour of need.