Welcome
In eastern Burma, a Karen baby is 12 times more likely to die before reaching a year old than a baby in the US. And a Karen mother is 54 times more likely to die during her pregnancy than a woman in the US.
Since 1962 the people of Burma have suffered under one of the most repressive and violent military juntas in the world. Burma, once one of the richest countries in Asia, and known as the rice basket of Asia, is now the poorest.
The World Health Organization rates the healthcare in Burma the second worst in the world.
Throughout Burma the ethnic groups, such as the Karen, endure systematic forced labor, rape and murder.
The military junta (SPDC) routinely shoots men and boys, rapes women and girls and burns Karen villages. Hundreds of thousands of Karen have fled and hide in the jungles or have relocated to camps in Thailand. While landmine or gunshot wounds may be the most traumatic, the enduring threat is malnutrition and disease - malaria, worms, diarrhea, TB and other preventable illnesses
Since 1999, BHM has been dedicated to address the humanitarian and healthcare crisis in Burma. We achieve our aims through supporting backpack medics who administer village healthcare services in Karen State and by documenting our missions using photography and video to share the voices of the peoples of Burma with the world.
We provide training support, medicines and supplies for community-based healthcare workers, who backpack into eastern Burma to provide immediate trauma care and long-term health care to the Karen and other ethnic groups who have suffered the junta’s repression.
Where the backpacking community health workers reach, mortality rates have decreased by 25-50%.
BHM’s efforts are desperately needed due to the Burmese junta’s violence inflicted on the Karen and other minorities.
Update
Last year, the SPDC conducted a fraudulent election to preserve their place of power. As part of their efforts to consolidate power, the SPDC began a crackdown on militia groups who exist to try to protect their own people.
The same day as the national election, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), who formerly supported the SPDC, launched attacks throughout eastern Burma against the SPDC, refusing to accede to the Burmese junta’s demands. At the same time, the SPDC initiated a widespread offensive against a number of ethnic minorities.
The SPDC conducts offensive operations regardless of the presence of unarmed villagers. During the recent surge in violence, artillery and mortar shells have hit children, women and men as they sought to avoid the conflict. As a result of the fighting between the DKBA and SPDC, an additional 25,000 villagers fled from Burma to Thailand in November 2010, seeking refuge. SPDC artillery and mortar fire ignored their crossing into Thailand and shells landed in Thailand, injuring Karen and Thai civilians.
As this occurs, Karen villagers are also subject to additional demands for forced labor, attacks on their villages and confiscation of their food and livestock. Karen villagers have reported that SPDC forces are using unarmed civilians as human shields against DKBA attacks.
Plus, Russian-made Mi-24 helicopters are reportedly deploying into the area. The surge of fighting following reflects the determination of the SPDC to eradicate opposition and unleash indiscriminate violence to achieve their aims.
Karen villagers and other minorities groups are suffering the effect. The demand for Backpack medic support is increasing at the highest rate since they were created in 1998.
This increase in violence is happening on top of what is already an epic health care crisis. More than 3,600 villages were destroyed from 1996 through 2010. Forced to flee their homes, Karen families lost access food, livestock, clean water and sanitary conditions.
In response, BHM provided over 900,000 doses of medicines and additional supplies to support mobile and fixed medical teams operating in eastern Burma in 2011. This is double the support we provided in 2010. We are on track to increase our support even further in 2012 but we need your help. Such unprecedented level of effort is only possible with the warm-hearted kindness and commitment of those who embrace BHM’s purpose as seriously as we do.
Upcoming BMH Events
In 2011, BHM’s “Run for Burma” teams will return to a number of events the Army Ten Miler on October 9th, the Marine Corps Marathon and 10k on October 30th.
In addition, 2011, we will repeat forming the Ride for Burma team, who took to the mountain trails around Springville CA in the Fat Tire Classic. Mark your calendars for October 16th and join us!
Please visit the Run for Burma page to learn how you and your friends can join these opportunities this year!