Blog
Coming to America
The documentary, “Nickel City Smiler”, relates the story of Smiler Greely, the epitome of a Burmese Karen man. He is joyous and optimistic, honest and tireless, and thinks not in years but generations. Resettled refugees in this country get a raw deal, which the movie shows. It’s a little harsh on the understaffed and underfunded resettlement agencies, but captures exactly how resettled refugees feel. Order the dvd or find out more here.
read moreBurma in Transition
National Geographic published an insightful piece about Burma this summer. Check out the beautiful (as always) photos that accompany the piece. The author records some very candid and unusually open discussions with average Burmese citizens. The author of the story took risks, but the people interviewed took more- and they speak for their people. The story touches on it briefly, but this is a time of great uncertainty in Burma- the military government technically transitioned to a civilian government this year, though most of the key players...
read moreThe Lady on film- a movie about the life of Aung San Suu Kyi
Coming in December, this film tells the story of Burmese democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize while under house arrest. Watch for it in theaters! The Lady movie trailer
read moreHonoring Those We Help
Amber Pleasant /Writing from Chiang Mai, Volunteer with FBR Throughout the year, many nonprofit organizations will solicit donations from people on their mailing lists. For some people, this can be a nice cleansing process to clear out the excess that seems to accumulate remarkably quickly in our lives. For others, it is a convenient way to dispose of “trash” – stained, tattered clothes, broken house wares, and sometimes even expired food items seem to make their way into give-away bags. It seems that this same mentality of viewing...
read moreTen Reasons To Care About Burma (Part 3 of 3)
Ten Reasons To Care About Burma (Part 3 of 3) 08. Destruction of the Environment The government sponsors: large scale clear-cutting of some of the world’s oldest remaining natural teak forests; toxic mining practices; and poorly planned and built dams. These abuses are affecting surrounding countries and future generations. 09. Control of Narcotics The regime condones and profits from Burma’s drug trade. They are the world’s #2 producer of opium/heroin, behind only Afghanistan. It is also southeast Asia’s leading producer of...
read moreTen Reasons to Care About Burma (Part 2 of 3)
Ten Reasons to Care About Burma (Part 2 of 3) 05. Abhorrent Public Health Burma ranks near the bottom of global rankings on public health, often sharing the bottom spots with Somalia and Sudan. There is a growing HIV/AIDs epidemic, fueled by drug activity, and about 1 in 10 children die in Burma before their 5th birthday. Among refugee families, that number is 1 in 5. Refugees also have great difficulty obtaining health care. (See hope from internationally recognized Mae Tao clinic) 06. Religious Persecution Non-Buddhist groups often...
read moreTen Reasons to Care About Burma (Part 1 of 3)
Ten Reasons to Care About Burma (Part 1 of 3) A friend of ours calls Burma “the craziest thing you’ve never heard about.” He’s probably right. Here are ten reasons you should learn more and do something: 1) Abuse of Human Dignity The regime uses rape as a weapon of war, burns entire villages, murders parents, chases children from their homes and denies them an education, makes arbitrary arrests, and in short, keeps their people living in fear. Read this report from the Harvard Human Rights Clinic summarizing the long list of war...
read moreExploding A Lovemine Amidst Oppression in Burma
Exploding A Lovemine Amidst Oppression in Burma One of our founders, Rachel Ryon, was asked to guest blog for The Pangea Blog. Read her thoughts on being a social activist for Burma here: http://www.thepangeablog.com/2011/06/17/exploding-a-love-mine-amidst-oppression-in-burma-rachel-ryon/#comments
read moreMeet Sia
Meet Sia. She is a lot like me. She is a young woman in her twenties. She likes movies, and friends, and children. She will be attending graduate school in the fall at Azusa Pacific University. But she is a little different. First, she is from an Akha hill tribe family from Chiang Rai, Thailand. She has spent the last 4 years working for Compasio in Mae Sot, one of the rougher border towns in Thailand. There she works with Thai and Burmese street kids, orphans and prison babies. It is an uphill battle for these kids, and for her. This is...
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