Burmas government spends 40% of the nations GNP on the military A laughable 3% is spent on the nations healthcare system

In Karen State there is no place to be treated for the common killer, tuberculosis are doing about it. One in three children are malnourished Turn the page and see what we

FIRST QUARTER 2008

PARTNERS MATTERS
by Oddny Gumaer Partners Relief & Development

VERMIN OR IMAGE BEARERS?

What to do in a nation whose rulers spend less than a dollar a year on healthcare per person while spending 40% of its GNP on the military; where one in three children are malnourished and where there are 106 deaths of children under ve for every 1,000 births? When reading about Burmas ruler General Than Shwe who spent $40 million on his daughters wedding compared to the $137,000 he and his junta spent on a nationwide program to combat AIDS I want to agree with King of Brobdingnag in Jonathan Swifts Gullivers Travels: Mankind is the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that Nature ever su ered to crawl upon the surface of the earth. It certainly seems like he was referring to the SPDC, the ruling junta of Burma. Burmas medical needs are both disheartening and overwhelming. In every village throughout the nation, children are su ering from diseases that are preventable. In the jungles, people are dying from a lack of basic medicine and care. Children, who normally should be able to ght o a common cold, end up getting pneumonia and dying because their immune system is weak due to a lack of food and clean water. Its tempting to give up before one even starts. The mountain of needs looks too high. There are, however, men and women who have not let discouragement guide them, but who instead have given their lives to help the needy and sick. They are Burmas heroes. Some of them are the healthcare workers who serve at the simple clinics in ethnic areas, the relief-team medics who provide healthcare in IDP areas, the nurses and medics, who, with minimal skills and even less equipment, help deliver babies, perform amputations or other surgeries, diagnose sicknesses, and try to give the correct medication to their patients. Not only do these people serve with negligible resources, they also su er great hardship. Their salaries are next to nothing, their living conditions harsh, and they frequently put their own lives in danger in order to serve and help. Some have died. Others, such as Naw Baby, a female nurse serving Karen IDPs, have been captured and put in prison for eight years. Their crime? Thinking that helping unwanted people was the right thing to do. It is to these men and women we want to dedicate this issue of Partners Magazine. They are the pillars of what Partners does to improve the dilapidated healthcare system of Burma. As we have been moving more and more of our resources toward helping displaced people living in hiding from the Burma Army, we have seen that of all the needs, none is greater than the need for basic medical care. The agrant abuse of power perpetrated by the SPDC, and the horrendous consequences this has for most of the countrys inhabitants, should be spoken of. Indeed, the truth about these crimes and conditions should be shouted from every rooftop. Partners is committed to doing that. But we are also dedicated to telling the stories of the men and women who have given their lives to serve, and who can prove the King of Brobdingnag wrong. Because, while it may be true that many humans behave like little odious vermin, it is also true that humans are created in the image of Christ. Many of those image bearers are in Burma, and you can read about them in this magazine. My hope is that you will read the pages following this one and be outraged, inspired, challenged and thankful. May it lead you to pray more, give more and do more.

Partners Magazine First Quarter 2008 Publisher: Partners Relief & Development Partners Mission: To demonstrate Gods love to victims of con ict and oppression. Founder: Steve Gumaer PRAD is a registered charity in the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, Norway, New Zealand and Thailand PRADs Field O ces: Chiang Mai and Mae Sot, Thailand Subscriptions: For a free subscription to Partners Magazine and for information on how you can help PRAD in our mission, please contact us: AUSTRALIA E-mail: info@partnersworld.org.au Web: www.partnersworld.org.au Mail: PO Box 13 Alstonville NSW 2477 Australia Tel: (02) 6628 5387 UK E-mail: info@partnersworld.org.uk Web: www.partnersworld.org.uk Mail: 15 Kingsthorpe Close, Forest Town Mans eld, Notts NG 19OPD UK Tel: +44-0044-7970-188-079 NEW ZEALAND E-mail: info@partnersworld.org.nz Web: www.partnersworld.org.nz Mail: PO Box 40 284 Upper Hutt New Zealand Tel: 09 974 2850 Reprints: Bulk reprints can be obtained directly from PRAD as availability permits. Contributors: Craig Garrison, Greg Toews, Shaune Vincent, Sonya Claase, Dr. Mitch, Chris Dolan, Niew Silachan, Steve & Oddny Gumaer. Photos: Stu Corlett: pg.2, 4, 11, 16, 18; KChay: pg.3, 8, 10, 12, 17; Chris: pg. 6, 14; FBR: pg.5, 13, 20; Augusta Pettersen: pg7. All other photos: private Layout and design: Oddny Gumaer Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984. Zondervan Publishing House. Permission to reproduce any of the material found in Partners Magazine can be obtained at: info@partnersworld.org Printed by ACTSCo . org Partners Relief & Development 2008.

PARTNERS MAGAZINE FIRST QUARTER 2008

LETTERS
GROWING CONCERN AND FOCUS ON BURMA

Every time a new edition of Partners Magazine arrives in our mailbox all six Quinleys (Mom, Dad and 4 teenagers) calls dibs on who will read it rst. Mom usually wins!! It is pretty amazing when Mom, Dad and 4 teenage children are growing more concerned and focused as we all learn of the current situation in Burma that comes clear when we read Partners Magazine. We often end up that week in an impromptu family prayer meeting as well. Thanks for your encouragement for our family to stand for the things that really count...like the IDPs of Burma. Love and Highest Regards, John & Kim Carter, JJ, Caleb & Coleman Virginia

Kameron Petersen, 6, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA.

POWER & MOTIVATION I read your article, Power & Motivation in Partners (4th Quarter, 2007) and a statement made touched a signi cant chord in my spirit. You said: Please pray for us. This isnt a clich. My wife and I worked in an Aboriginal Community in Australia. I was a leader in that community. Even though we experienced none of the hardship that you talk about, the struggles were constant and daily. There were times when I pleaded with sta to concentrate on the Lord and not on the conditions around us because I knew that what we were facing was too big for us to handle. Our experience has given us an empathy for the work that people like yourselves are doing at the moment. The enormity of the task, the struggle to nd Gods rest, the struggle to see Gods dominance in the daily routines and the days that you think that the place will not exist at days end. God Bless in your struggle and your service to the Lord Jesus. David Ryan Burnside, South Australia

Talk to us!
Beginning with this issue, Partners is launching a new feature in our quarterly magazine with YOU in mind. "Letters" has been created to encourage you to have your say regarding the articles you read in our magazine and/or your opinions, thoughts and passions regarding the situation in Burma. Y ou can send us your Letter via email at: info@partnersworld.org or by posting your letter to: Partners Relief & Development GPO Box 270 Chiang Mai 50000 Thailand

human dignity
by Dr. Mitch

I am writing from the jungles of eastern Burma where I teach advanced medics with the Free Burma Rangers (FBR). In this land, such activity has been declared illegal. In fact, this area has been deemed a black zone where the ruling army claims the right to shoot any man, woman or child on the spot for any reason. They routinely do. They rape girls and burn children alive. In the face of such brutality, it is easy and tempting to justify extreme reactions. Therefore, the reasons to be involved in this struggle become critically important for me. Moreover, the answer to why, may provide some guidance for how to be involved in Burma.
In the publication, A Campaign of Brutality*, several reasons are listed as to why it is right to be involved in Burma. However, at the top of the list is the idea of human dignity. In a land such as Burma, the value of a human life, including my own, my friends and my familys, becomes more than some distant theoretical discussion. It becomes a serious and very personal issue. Nevertheless, I still struggle with the idea of human dignity. Before exploring this issue, I must rst admit to a bit of skepticism. One dictionary de nes human dignity as the state of being worthy of honour or respect. Because of my schedule, I dont always know what is happening in the news around the world. However, when I do tune into what is happening, I am tempted to wonder if there is really anything worthy of such respect left in mankind. I read of wars, terrorists, sel shness, pride, people controlled by fear, power and lust. More concerning, I know my own capacity for participation in such evil. Human dignity seems like a concept stu ed with self-serving importance...a wishful humanistic invention. It seems obvious that all men have fallen and anything originally good has been lost, or at least twisted. And yet I cant help but believe there is still something inherently valuable in a person. Rich or poor, free or not, sinner or saint, we were all created in Gods image. Moreover, Jesus came in this same human form and spent his life to restore it. He seemed to especially identify with those in need. Speaking of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, those needing clothes, the sick and those in prison, Jesus said, Whatever you do to the least of these, you do to me. If for no other reason, these words give serious value to human dignity for all people in any kind of need. And so, I am convinced that despite our brokenness, a re ection of the Creatorfull of wonder and mysterystill shines within the world of men. And, therein, lies the light of our dignity.
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PARTNERS MAGAZINE FIRST QUARTER 2008

Certainly, however, we are witnessing a darkening of the dignity of our race in our present world. When parents in Burma cannot give their children anything to eat, there is a loss of something more than a few calories. The image of the Creator, as re ected in a caring and capable father and mother, has been harmed. When soldiers wait for a man to carry his mother up a steep hill only to open re when he nally gets to the top, more than a couple of lives have just ended. When a soldier rapes an eightyear-old girl, more than a little body is violated. When a 21 year-old nurse is sentenced to eight years in prison for being a nurse to the wrong people, more than a few years of a life are wasted. Even if their inherent value before God remains unchanged, something has been forever lost to our world. When such horrible things happen, it is as if a little of Gods light has been covered over and the world grows ever darker. Ironic as it might sound, as I struggled to come to terms with the idea of human dignity, I decided to seek out the wisdom of the Animals. Actually, the Animals are my FBR teammates, most of whom are Karen and most of whom have animal nicknames. I am known as the owl. A few of the Animals (Monkey, Doh Say, Kchay and Raykaw) have been particularly close friends and a source of great encouragement to me. Their wisdom, courage and enduring spirit simply inspire me. I asked them for their thoughts about human dignity. Raykaw, who doesnt really like his animal name the Gecko is one of the chief medics. He answered the clearest. Raykaw is usually so humble and quiet, that I didnt expect such a clear, aggressive answer. Once, because God gave us love, so we need to love each other... to help each other. That is our dignity. I then asked him if that would apply to an injured Burma Army soldier who came to him for treatment? At rst, Raykaw looked at me as if he didnt understand the question. Slowly, thoughtfully, he replied. For me, if they (a Burma Army soldier)

Even if their inherent value before God remains unchanged, something has been forever lost to our world. When such horrible things happen, it is as if a little of Gods light has been covered over and the world grows ever darker.

came to me...I want to help them. They need love and help. For example, when we see them, if they have no one to help them to stop their bleeding, they will need something to keep their life. For me, we need to help them. If they are bad after that, no problem...thats up to them. Remember, these are the words of a very experienced medic. One who has seen the atrocities of the Burma army with his own eyes. One who has spent years risking his life to bring medical help to people hiding from the Burma Army in the jungle. One who, as a child, was himself displaced from his home by these very soldiers. For Raykaw, his human dignity is found in his ability and willingness to give to others, even to his enemies. Period. His profound statement is backed up by his life as a Free Burma Ranger medic. I consider myself to be blessed to know real heroes of such stature. The more I thought about this, the more I appreciated my friends insights. Giving is clearly one aspect of Gods own nature. As beings made in his image, giving becomes one aspect of our own human dignity. Even, as Raykaw said, if it means giving to an enemy who would turn right around and do us harm. I have come to believe that our human dignity is wrapped up in our ability to exhibit any of our Makers characteristics. Generous giving. Creativity. Love. Courage. Kindness. Free choice. And to do it solely because it is of God...because it is truly good. If so, then it is our duty, our honour, even our dignity as Christians, to enable and protect the capacity of all men to exhibit these characteristics in their lives. What they do with that capacity afterwards is up to them. Ideally, perhaps, we would do this even if they would use it for our harm. I am sure that the lives of the ethnic minorities of Burma, who now su er so greatly, will have to change in some ways. My prayer is that these changes will be made while allowing their dignity to continue to shine to our world, intact and vibrant. This is the reason I believe it is right and critically important as a Christian to be involved in Burma...for human dignity. For me, not only does this answer the why to be involved, it also addresses the how of involvement. Once, because God gave us love, so we need to love each other...to help each other. That is our dignityeven to our enemies. Dr. Mitch is the primary Medical Consultant with the Free Burma Rangers. He lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand (when not hiking in the jungle).

Raykaw providing medical care to an IDP

*(http://www.freeburmarangers.org/Features/20070315_NorthernKarwww.partnersworld.org.au | www.partnersworld.org.uk | www.partnersworld.org.nz enState.pdf )

I have come to believe that our human dignity is wrapped up in our ability to exhibit any of our Makers characteristics. Generous giving. Creativity. Love. Courage. Kindness. Free choice. And to do it solely because it is of God...because it is truly good.
5

its sick
#2
The World Health Organisation ranks Burma as having the world's second-worst healthcare system. Only war-torn Sierra Leone is worse.

221

In Eastern Burma con ict zones, 221 children for every 1,000 die under the age of 5, compared to 21 in Thailand, and 8 in the USA.

1/3

According to the UN, 1 in 3 children in Burma today is malnourished.

0
1/12

Government expenditure on health per person in Burma is the lowest in the world. Many parts of the country, especially in the border areas, have no health service at all. An estimated 34% of Burmas rural population have no access to clean water, which, in turn, causes respiratory and water-borne diseases, while adequate sanitation facilities are unavailable to approximately 43% of this population.

34%

1 in 12 women die from complications of giving birth.

32%

32% of children under 5 are underweight and su er from stunting, and 9% of children under 5 su er from wasting.
Sources: Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization: http://www.unpo.org/article.php?id=6387 European Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/echo/ eld/myanmar/index_en.htm USAID: http://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PDACK256.pdf Chronic Emergency by Back Pack Health Worker Team: http://www.geocities.com/maesothtml/bphwt/ http://www.berkeley.edu/news/berkeleyan/2007/10/31_burma.shtml Unicef : http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/myanmar_statistics.html WHO Burma stats pdf: http://www.who.int/whosis/mort/pro les/mort_searo_mmr_myanmar.pdf O cial Ministry of Health in Burma website: http://www.moh.gov.mm/ http://starbulletin.com/2007/11/13/editorial/editorial01.html

PARTNERS MAGAZINE FIRST QUARTER 2008

The face of Burmas sickness

by Oddny Gumaer

There were no doctors, no clinics and no medicine for such a serious disease.

In a primitive bamboo house in an idyllic village, deep in Karen State, a little child sat on her fathers lap looking sick and lethargic. The child was caked with dirt, her eyes bulged out and her legs were as thin as matches. She was not cute, just sick-looking. It made me think of a weak kitten. Her dad held her close while she rested her head on his chest, not from a ection, but because she had no strength to sit up straight. She has been sick for more than a year, the dad said to the doctor who was in the village for just a day. Her fever goes up and down all the time. She cannot walk any more. The child, who looked to be about two years old, turned out to be ve. The doctor asked all the questions he could think of and checked her as well as he could with the limited equipment he had brought. When he was done, he was sure about the diagnosis. Tuberculosis. We have to do something, I said. We cant, was the reply. To treat TB properly will take nine months. The patient has to be monitored regularly by professionals. In this village on the mountain top, this was impossible. There were no doctors, no clinics and no medicine for such a serious disease. The closest place to get treatment was many days awayin a refugee camp in another country. We put some vitamins in a bag for the father to give his child. Then we gave him some medicine to help treat the cough. Seeing the father leave with his sick child made me feel sick too. I felt angry and hopeless. This is the country where children die from diseases that can easily be treated. This is the country where we from the West, who have the resources, time and willingness to help, are not allowed to do so. This is the country where people who want to serve their own have to do so while risking their lives, and where they, in fact, do die, get imprisoned, tortured and raped because they have decided to do what is right. This is the country that slowly kills its own people by denying them the most basic human rights, such as healthcare. This is Burma.

An IDP child in Eh Thu Thaa IDP camp, Burma.

phwt/

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MORE THAN STATISTICS

CARING ABOUT THE WHOLE PERSON
by Shaune Vincent and Sonya Claase

IDP (Internally Displaced Person): someone who has been forced to leave their home, but has not crossed an international border.

Someone once said, There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics. Throughout this edition of Partners Magazine, you have undoubtedly come across dozens of mind-numbing statistics. However, the sad fact is that these statistics arent lies; they are true. Even sadder is the realisation that each of these numbers represent real people living in a real place in a real time, namely now. Partners sees more than just a good cause in tackling these statistics. Our desire is to react in a way that pleases God the way that Jesus Himself would respond. We care about the whole person: body, mind and spirit, and try to demonstrate this in the way that we live our lives. While were small, and some may think we wont make much of a di erence against a regime that stands out as being one of the worst human rights violators in the world, we believe that right is right. And there is no doubt in our eyes that helping people in great need, who are in the midst of great su ering, is right. God often uses people like you and me to shake things up, set things right, make impossible things possible, and ful lls the prayer of His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. On the next page are the many ways that Partners invests in the the healthcare of thousands of people caught in the grip of intentional brutality and cold indi erence.

PARTNERS MAGAZINE FIRST QUARTER 2008

RELIEF TEAMS Medical Relief Teams. Partners supports the Free Burma Rangers (FBR) in the training of medics, both nancially and in the sending of doctors and nurses to help with training. We also provide kits of medicine to these relief teams, each with enough supplies to treat 1,000-1,500 people in the jungles of Burma. These medics travel into high-con ict areas to help people displaced and abused by Burmas military regime. PRE-POSITIONED MEDICINE While Karen State is trying to establish a basic medical system, it is inadequate and cannot meet all the needs that people have. IDPs in hiding are living under extreme conditionsno shelter or nutritional food, as well as a lack of sanitation and clean drinking waterwhich have a direct e ect on their health. To help combat these critical conditions, Partners supports a pre-positioned medicine system that places essential medicines and supplies in critical areas for relief teams to access in times of heightened con ict to assist those in desperate need. HEALTH CLINICS Partners supports nine health clinics inside Karen State among IDP populations. Each clinic provides vital care for 3,500- 5,000 displaced people each year. These clinics are stocked with essential drugs and supplies every three months. The objective of these clinics is to provide primary healthcare from a semi-permanent site to surrounding areas. Every clinic has three to ve primary healthcare personnel. Two health workers are always present in the clinic while the other three visit displaced people in surrounding places. IMMUNISATION PROGRAM Partners is working in concert with other organisations to pilot an immunisation program during the rst half of 2008. The Karen Department for Health & Welfare has identi ed six geographical areas in which to trial MMR, DPT, Polio and BCG vaccines. This initial pilot program will reach nearly 4,000 children under the age of ve with needed immunizations. CHECK Child Healthcare: Educating Caregivers and Kids. Partners provides a healthcare check for every child in our homes in refugee camps, along with medicine, treatment or a referral when needed. Many of the problems we see are preventable, which is why we dont just treat the symptom and leave, but also provide training and education for caregivers and children. LAMB Life Abundant for Mothers and Babies. A program that provides training to village midwives so that they can help local mothers have a safe and healthy pregnancy, a clean birth and be able to take care of their newborns. MEDICAL INTERNSHIP PROGRAM There is no university for the Karen to study at to receive medical training. Thats why Partners supports basic medic training through the Karen Department of Health & Welfare and have sponsored the training of 20 new medics in 2008. In addition to this, through our network of relationships in the Partners family we invite doctors, nurses and other healthcare specialists to come and train both new and existing medics to increase their care capacity. FLYING TEAM - PROSTHESIS WORKSHOP Many people fall victim to landmines. While some are wounded and lose their hands or eyes, most su er the loss of a leg. Partners supports the Flying Team; a group of technicians that walk to villages where the need is, measure each villager in need of a prosthetic, and then return to the border to make the arti cial leg according to measurements. Upon completion, they return to the village and t the prosthetic. PERSONAL MEDICAL CARE On a case-by-case basis, Partners helps provide for individuals needing surgery or other medical care. Many IDPs need specialised treatment that they are unable to receive in the jungle. On a recent trip into Karen State, Burma, we brought two children who needed surgery and medical care to the Thai-Burma border for treatment (see sidebar on page 15).

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be A LIFELINE

by Kathryn Halley

Two days before a team of nine people left Chiang Mai for Shan State in Burma, my time here in Thailand was turned upside down. As a nurse from Australia, I had no idea that volunteering with Partners Thailand for two months would mean an invitation to journey with them into Burma! But here I was with two days notice and a generous invitation to join the team. Being someone who thrives on the spontaneous I jumped at the opportunity, although secretly wondered what was so urgent on Gods agenda that He required my immediate attention.

10 PARTNERS MAGAZINE FIRST QUARTER 2008

line life
Loi Tai Leng encampment, Shan State, stretches along a mountainous peak and represents the last bastion of the Shan State Army and, indirectly, the last safe place for the Shan people to escape from the Burma Army. An array of village style huts rest precariously on the mountain peak. There is no running water and limited supplies, yet the ground surrounding most huts is neatly swept; evidence that even though much has been stripped from these people throughout the past 60 year war, their dignity remains. Wearing possibly their only pair of clothes, often no shoes and very dusty faces, young children busied themselves playing games. But the strain of survival was etched on the faces of anyone old enough to remember.Story after story carried very similar themes people running from torched villages, rape, torture and slave labour. This team was one of a beginning stream of lifelines between Partners and the Shan. We were warmly welcomed by their leadership team and cared for with incredible concern. We held medical CHECKs and childrens programmes for those living in the childrens homes, and delivered much needed blankets to protect against the bitter cold. Respiratory illnesses, ear and skin infections, intestinal worms and aching body parts were very common. The children had lots of fun painting their ideas of love, chattering and laughing with each other; possibly a ray of sunshine in a grim situation. It was really exciting to see God using Partners as a lifeline, reaching into the Shan peoples everyday experience, bringing hope, love and a message that God cares about their plight and their su ering. The people we met have lived a day-by-day in a struggle for survival, battling for things that, in my comfortable existence in the very distant land of Australia, I have often taken for granted. Of course Ive thought about the faces behind su ering, usually exposed on television commercials. But here God was getting my attention, showing me directly how much He cares about the very existence of those who su er. The challenge: am I willing for God to use me as part of His lifeline in whatever way he chooses? Kathryn Halley is a Registered Nurse from Sydney, Australia. She is spending two months helping Partners with the medical programmes and wishes that she was immediately uent in Thai, Shan, Karen and Burmese languages - no e ort required!

We left Chiang Mai at 6am driving in two overloaded 4WDs; a group of strangers drawn together for six days. Four Partners sta from Thailand, a photographer from Norway, two others from Alaska, an FBR volunteer from the US and another man from the US - de nitely a motley crue, but with a sense of uni ed purpose. After the four hour windy drive and a solid lunch, we prepared to hike through the impressive mountainous peaks to Shan State, about ve to six hours hike away. But God had other plans!! Instead, our 4WDs were directed on a rough, bumpy, dusty mountain track for three hours, stopping short of our destination by only a 40 minute walk! Secretly my heart was amazed at Gods provision for me. He knew that with only two days preparation I was not in physical shape to tackle the 80 degree inclines and declines. This was going to be a journey of ve star provision!

lifeline
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O F M E D I C A L WO R K T H E A R T E RY

An FBR relief-team medic providing medical care in Papun District, 2007

artners helps train and support relief teams that are part of the Free Burma Rangers.There are currently 40 full-time teams serving in areas of active conict. On a typical six-month mission, one team will help between 400 and 700 people who would otherwise receive very little, if any, medical attention. In many cases the injuries and sicknesses the IDPs experience are a direct result of the military junta abusing and displacing them. Since the current o ensive in eastern Burma began in February 2006, at least 48,000 civilians have been displaced, joining an estimated 1.5 million other IDPs. Constantly being on the run and hiding in the jungle without proper shelter, food or medicine, these people are vulnerable to malaria, dysentery, tuberculosis and a host of other preventable diseases. Last year Partners spent over half of its budget on supporting these teams. This is the main artery of the medical and relief work Partners does thousands of lives are saved because of the work these teams are doing. The following is an example of a typical report written by FBR, with detailed information, from one of the many relief teams. It is a story that is all too common in remote ethnic areas, and a story that explains the incredible need as well as the important work the relief teams do.
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n November 2007, the Burma Army attacked Ler Wah village, forcing more than 100 villagers to ee. They are still in hiding. On November 19, Burma Army soldiers from LIB (Light Infantry Battalion) 218 and 219, from Div. 11, were able to surprise the villagers and attack while everyone was in their homes. They lined up on a nearby ridge and shot machine guns into the village. Every home was hit by the machine-gun re. Amazingly no one was injured in the initial attack, however families immediately ran into the jungle without any time to collect belongings. Most ran further into the mountains to nearby villages, but some ran into the jungle and hid for several days. The Burma Army then continued into the village, ransacking homes, stealing belongings, and destroying food and other property. They then set up camp in close proximity to the village for several days, and placed landmines around the village. Karen soldiers have been able to clear paths to elds and homes, but they have not yet found any landmines. This attack was part of a larger attack launched by LIBs 218 and 219 in early November which swept much of Kyauk Kyi Township. Two people were killed during the attacks; Saw Ler Gay, 28, who is survived by a wife and three children, as well as one Karen soldier. Villagers have been hiding higher in the mountains since the attack and have been sneaking back to the village and the nearby farms to collect belongings and food. Villagers reported that the Burma Army has made it impossible for most of them to produce enough food to feed their families. Many villagers have not been able to return to their farms for three years. Others were able to clear old elds to begin planting, but were never able to plant. Some were able to plant, but were not able to harvest, and yet others were able to harvest their crop, only to see it destroyed by attacking Burma Army troops. Villagers reported that they needed help to survive, and that what they wanted most was freedom. In mid-December, FBR teams visited IDPs from Ler Wah village that have been hiding in the mountains above their old village. The teams gave medical treatment, distributed Good Life Club materials, and encouraged the villagers. The teams then continued down to Ler Wah village where they photographed the homes that had been shot and destroyed, as well as the remains of the temporary shelters used by the Burma Army. FBR teams are now in the area and will continue to provide treatment to the IDPs and report on the situation.
The widow and children of Saw Ler Gay who was killed by the SPDC in November 2007

This mans son was burned alive by the SPDC. Here he is with the rest of his family.

The Free Burma Rangers (FBR) are our closest partners in our e orts to demonstrate Gods love to the victims of the war in Burma. Each year FBR trains between 10 and 20 relief teams who commit to a six to 24 month relief mission in con ict areas of Burma. Partners helps train the teams, provides essential medical supplies and commits a large portion of its budget to relief necessities that the teams deliver to Internally Displaced People. FBR also trains our sta for ministry in crisis situations. For more on FBR please visit: www.freeburmarangers.org.

A Free Burma Ranger report sent directly from the eld in Papun District, Karen State, 10 January 2008
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su
S

omeone once told me the key to surrender is to clear your heart of any purpose, plan, or ambition, and to give yourself fully to the situation at hand. This might sound a bit mundane and obvious, but until you have experienced it, it is very easy to judge. I am a pretty adventurous guy: Ill eat weird things, drive a bit too fast and go places people with a bit more sense wouldnt go. But surrender is something out of my realm of expertise. I always like to keep a measure of control; to keep my hands on the wheel, so to speak. During my time with the Karen, though, I have found many examples of a people who choose to surrender themselves, their ambitions, hopes, plans and lives to something greater, more worthy than what they are on their own. The rst time I met Naw TKa Moo Shee, she was lying on a plastic mat under a thin, cheap wool blanket, with an IV in her arm, looking as miserable as anyone I had ever seen. I was on my rst trip to this village, one of those idyllic places where tourists would pay fortunes to get to. Even through her misery, she summoned the strength to sit up and greet our little band of white folks, say hello, and promptly fall back to her resting place. Little did I know, I was meeting one of the true unsung heroes, someone who would teach me about her culture, life, and, about surrender. She recovered from that rst bout of malaria and the next time I saw her she was working in the clinic in the village. I recognised her immediately. She is one of those people whose image burns itself upon ones memory; a beautiful, sad, noble and proud mix of features that isnt easily forgotten. I found out that she was the head nurse, that she wasnt even a member of that village, yet choose to work there for very little pay among a people that were not strictly hers.

r re nd
by C hr is Do lan

the key to SURRENDER is to clear your heart of any purpose, plan, or ambition, and to give yourself fully to the situation at hand.

er

Naw TKa Moo Shee is a Christian, working among the Teh Lon Koh people, who consider themselves to be the guardians of the Karen traditions and religions, not Buddhist, not Animist, but something in between. I didnt expect her to speak English, and as my Karen is embarrassingly bad, I gured we wouldnt make it past the usual, Hi, how are you doing, and, Oh, this food is delicious! I was quite shocked to hear an uncharacteristically sonorous voice saying, Thra [teacher], can you tell me something about your country? She had one of those voices that in the US, would have immediately made me think of an old blues singer; someone who had spent a lifetime singing about heartache and lost love.

Naw TKa Moo Shee

14 PARTNERS MAGAZINE FIRST QUARTER 2008

HIDDEN, BUT FOUND

We talked about the USA and family and I asked many questions about hers. I found out that she was born in Karen State, Burma, and had left six years earlier for the Thai border to learn how to be a nurse. She walked for a week through enemy territory to reach one of the camps along the border, knowing she would probably never see her family again. In a time when most Karen her age are either married with children, or dreaming about the movie-like lifestyle they could have in another country, she was giving her life to these malarial children, abscessed old men and rheumatic old women, without any thought of herself. Since that rst meeting, she and I have shared the ve hour walk from the road to the clinic many times, more than a few meals and countless cups of co ee. During these hours, I have gotten to know her better and, with that knowledge, gained a much deeper understanding of the word surrender. She is one of the true heroes of this struggle, much more than any soldier or politician, and certainly more than any of the aid workers like myself, who often receive such undeserved accolades. Thankfully, there are many like her among the Karen: teachers, medics and nurses, who forgo the shallow, ckle temptations of the big city, or resettlement and give of themselves, risking their lives, many times for little or no pay, to teach, heal and care for those in need. They are the future of the Karen people; at once so noble and sad, strong and forgotten. Maybe it has taken the crucible of 50 years of war and bloodshed to forge these heroes, but I dont think so. I think the reason they are as they are is because they are so generous, so loving and so innocent to begin with. War doesnt make a hard man soft, it makes him harder. It is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of these people, that after 50 years of con ict, so many are so trusting, giving and compassionate. Chris Dolan is the Teams Co-ordinator for Partners. He lives with his wife, Deborah, in Mae Sot, Thailand.

The four year-old boy

Naw Hla Paw, 15 years old

Sonya Claase, the Karen Projects Director for Partners in Mae Sot, Thailand, shares about two children she and a team met and helped on a recent trip inside Burma. When I met Naw Hla Paw, I thought she was about six years old. She was actually fteen. She su ers from a blood disease that would have been treatable had she received proper medical care at an early age. Although it may be too late to help her now, we are doing everything we can for her. At the same village where we met Naw Hla Paw, we also met a four-year-old boy who had been born with a hernia and su ered from an enlarged testicle. His condition, too, is treatable. But because of inaccessibility, he has lived with this condition all his life. The good news is that we were able to bring him back to the border area and arrange surgery. He has now returned to his family and village. Ethnic minority groups do the best they can to provide basic medical care for their people. Health clinics and some medical care do exist but their geographic reach is severely limited. Additionally, the basic care that is available is limited to treatment of common diseases and conditions such as malaria, dysentery and Acute Respiratory Infection. We were able to help one little girl and boy, but in the jungles of Burma there are tens of thousands more who are in hiding, su ering at the hands of a regime that couldnt care less. These are communities that are hidden from the world.

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Etched in my head and heart

I wanted to go to see what was really going on inside Karen State. Sometimes I feel that it is difficult to feel Gods heartbeat for the Karen while surrounded with piles of accounting paperwork....

by Chanissara (Niew) Silachan

uring December 2007, I travelled to Law Pla They (the lightning village) in Karen State, Burma. It was my second trip to Karen State, as I grew up in Thailand. The trip involved a ve hour bus ride, twohour boat trip and a seven hour walk. I was with a group of 120 Bible college students. I wanted to go to see what was really going on inside Karen State. Sometimes I feel that it is di cult to feel Gods heartbeat for the Karen while surrounded with piles of accounting paperwork. I have read the magazines, seen the pictures and heard the stories in the o ce, but I wanted to see and know about what is happening to my people for myself. In going on this trip, I was a little apprehensive as my daughter, Paint, had been in the hospital in Chiang Mai before I left. While I was away I thought of my family, but I was not worried, as my family has access to medical care in Thailand, unlike the IDPs I encountered. The experience raised mixed feelings for me. The people in the village were encouraged that wed come, yet somehow I felt inadequate. I felt like I didnt have enough to give them. The people I met lacked food, medicine, schools and hospitals. The clothes the people were wearing were threadbare. As I saw these people in need, my heart broke. Before I came back to Chiang Mai, I gave away all my clothes and only brought one set back. One man I talked to had a baby boy die recently of malaria. The boy was less than two years old. They took him to a clinic, but there wasnt medicine to treat him. This left him with one six year-old daughter. When I went to see one of the clinics, I was shocked. One of the patients was 43 years old and a mother of 12. She had been sick for more than three months. She had a hardened abdomen, a cough, di culty eating and was very thin. Two of her children were in the clinic; a four year-old girl caring for a three month-old baby boy.
16 PARTNERS MAGAZINE FIRST QUARTER 2008

I knew I needed to help her, but I didnt know how to help. I gave her the food I had and prayed for her. The clinic needed basic things like blankets, rechargeable batteries, food to feed their patients and medical sta . The facilities were primitive and broken-down. A medic told me that people were afraid to touch each other in case they caught a common disease like TB. I didnt care about the risk, I wanted to show love by embracing these people. Since getting back to Chiang Mai, I have arranged to deliver stationery to the school children I met. The trip was one that I will never forget it is etched in my head and my heart. I plan to go again. Niew has worked for Partners for three years and recently transferred from our Mae Sot o ce to Chiang Mai to assist in the administration of Partners nances. She is married to Boontawee and together they have two children, Sense (6) and Paint (1).

Niew

playground
Have you ever seen a toddler who, having just opened up a pile of toyssome plush, some electronic with ashing lights sits and plays with the box that the toys came in? But think about this: what if the only toy you ever had was that box?
by Greg Toews

Fun

ife in a refugee camp, while more comfortable and secure than life inside the eastern ethnic states of Burma, is still largely about survival. Children su er from protein and vitamin de ciency, and many of their clothes have long since needed to be replaced. Items of leisure almost always take a back seat to these needs. While we take it for granted in the west, play is a critical part of a childs emotional, physical and social development, regardless of where you're from. Its something that Partners incorporates into its childrens homes and educational projects. So when members of SunWest Christian Fellowship of Calgary, Canada, and the Emmanuel Foundation asked if we could use a large playground in one of the refugee camps, the answer was a resounding yes! Mae La Refugee Camp, along the Thai-Burma border, is home to over 50,000 people, with more than half of that population under the age of 16. The schools in the camp are well organized, but very spartan. Not one school in any of the camps has proper recreational facilities for their students. In December of 2007 that changed. Because of the generosity of these two Canadian groups, over 1,000 students of Middle School No. 1 in section C of Mae La now have the chance to play and develop with the aid of monkey bars, slides and swings. The installation took only four days. Many wonderful volunteers from the local Bible school and camp community came to help make the work light. The hardest part of the entire construction process was trying to keep hundreds of eager kids o the equipment while the paint dried and the concrete cured! You could see their curiosity and anticipation build throughout the week and when the opening ceremony nally came about on Friday, the kids were ecstatic.

was amazing to see kids from Kindergarten all the way to Grade 7 revel in their rst experience on a playground. Even the teachers wanted to take a turn on the swings and slides. A playground, while not essential to survival, makes children in an otherwise drab and sometimes hopeless camp, light up with excitement. Greg Toews is the National Director of Partners Canada. He's lived in Thailand for six years and is married to Elissa.

A huge thank you goes out to SunWest Christian Fellowship, Emmanuel Foundation and Scotts The teachers let about 600 of the schools students out Pressure Wash for donating the equipment, to attend the opening ceremony. They gured that was and for the transport and installation of this playabout all the chaos they could manage at one time. It ground set. You have made thousands of kids very happy. www.partnersworld.org.au | www.partnersworld.org.uk | www.partnersworld.org.nz 17

Christmas in the camp

When Lulu, three years old, lined up to get her Christmas present, she had sparkling eyes. So did the boys and girls who were 13, 14 and older. Wonder what will be in my present? Wonder if there actually will be a gift for me this year?

Ma k in

a stm hr i

wns at Mae La Christma s pa s cro r ty

in

D
ber 2007 em ec

Every year, Partners buys a Christmas presents for each of the children in our childrens homes. It is a huge endeavour. Last year, that meant gifts for 1,328 children. The gifts included toys for the younger children and clothes, toiletries, etc. for the older ones. It is a wonderful thing to be able to bless children with a gift that makes them feel special and loved. Last December, almost all of Partners sta celebrated Christmas together with the children in Mae La Refugee Camp. The children entertained us by performing songs and dances. The Partners team did crafts and games with the many kids that showed up, special snacks were provided and, in the end, everybody got a present. Although not all of us got to participate, similar Christmas parties were held at all Partners homes and projects, 21 all together.
18 PARTNERS MAGAZINE FIRST QUARTER 2008

Photos and collage by Stu Corlett

partners family news

irl s a g It
Bia and her husband, Yo, had their rst baby (a girl) in December. Her name is Nam Bai. Mum and child are both doing well. Bia will be on maternity leave from Partners until March. We rejoice with both mum and dad for this wonderful new life!

PRAYER
When praying for Burma, ask yourself how you would feel if your home was in a country where healthcare was a luxury. Imagine not being able to give your sick child medicine to make her well, or having no way to get treatment for a sickness that could take your life. That is the reality for millions in Burma. Pray for the mothers and fathers of the children who die before turning ve; that is 221 of every 1000 children in eastern Burma. Pray for strength to live through the pain. Pray also that this number would decrease. Pray for IDPs who are living in hiding in Burmas jungles. Security is low and their basic needs are seldom met. Pray that relief teams will be able to reach as many of them as possible with the gifts of medicine and healthcare workers. Pray for relief team workers. The tasks of the teams are many, and they are often travelling in hostile territories. Pray for protection, health and wisdom in all the di erent situations they encounter. Pray that their e orts will be blessed, saving the lives of people who would otherwise not be helped. Pray for healthcare workers in our clinics and other healthcare facilities. Pray for wisdom to give right diagnoses, that their medicine supplies will be su cient and that they will receive strength when they feel overwhelmed by fatigue. Pray for a sense of joy in their work as they spend most of their hours serving the sick and needy. Pray for change in Burma and that the country will soon be led by leaders who see the madness of spending only 3% of the nations GNP on healthcare while their own people are dying. Pray for Partners sta as we seek Gods wisdom in trying to improve the healthcare system in a nation that has fallen so far behind. Pray that in doing this we would build not just healthcare, but the Kingdom of God.

Displaced Re ections

As the designer and editor of Partners Magazine, co- founder of Partners Relief & Development and tireless advocate for the people of Burma, Oddny Gumaers experiences and writing will inspire and challenge you. Along with Oddnys prose is the stunning photography of Brent Madison, capturing the essence of Burmas oppressed yet beautiful people. You may order Displaced Re ections on our secure online Partners Store at: www.partnersworld.org.au (AU), www.partnersworld.org.nz (NZ) or www.partnersworld.org.uk (UK) For retailers and volume orders, please contact us.

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An FBR relief team providing medical care among IDPs , Spring 07

The only kind of dignity which is genuine is that which is not diminished by the indi erence of others.
Dag Hammarskjold, Swedish diplomat (1905-61)

Partners Relief and Development Australia PO Box 13 ALSTONVILLE NSW 2477 Australia info@partnersworld.org.au www.partnersworld.org.au

Partners Relief and Development UK 15 Kingsthorpe Close, Forest Town, Mans eld, Notts NG 190PD UK info@partnersworld.org.uk www.partnersworld.org.uk

Partners Relief and Development NZ (currently in registration process) PO Box 40 284 Upper Hutt New Zealand info@partnersworld.org.nz www.partnersworld.org.nz