Welcome
Burma Humanitarian Mission is an all-volunteer non-profit organization 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 voice of the peoples of Burma with the world.
Since 1999, Burma Humanitarian Mission has trained backpack medics and provided them with basic medicines and supplies. The backpack medics hike into eastern Burma to provide immediate trauma care and long-term health care to Karen and other ethnic groups who have suffered the Burmese junta's repression. The junta routinely shoot men and boys, rape women and girls and burn Karen villages. Thousands of Karen have fled and hide in the jungles or 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. One in 5 Karen children die before the age of 5; Karen mothers have a maternal mortality rate 10 times that of neighboring Thai mothers. Burma Humanitarian Mission is dedicated to mitigating these risks.
Thank you for visiting our site to learn more about what we do, why it is needed and what you can do.
Mission Report
Friends,
In January, we visited with the Backpack Health Worker Teams on the Thai-Burma border. During our visit, we coordinated the delivery of more than 400,000 doses of medicine and the training support for the next class of new medics, slated to begin in June. We were honored to attend the graduation of the latest class of medics – 16 women and 14 men. Their determination and commitment is inspirational. When asked what the best part of their training was, one medic replied: When we return to our villages to help our people.
Sadly, their skills will be in high demand. From our discussions with the medics, we learned that the SPDC violence has caused the BPHWT medical caseload to increase by some 34% in 2009 compared to the previous year.
Among the cases the medics treated were two children under the age of 5 suffering from gunshot wounds inflicted by SPDC soldiers. Acute respiratory illness, malaria and dysentery remain the leading causes of death among the Karen and other ethnic minorities in the east. Due to the poor nutritional and health conditions, a Karen woman is 3 to 9 times more likely to have a failed pregnancy than her counterpart in the United States.
In the face of these conditions, the backpack medics are determined to help their people and BHM will remain a steady ally. The BPHWT recently made the decision to introduce artesunate and mefloquin to their kits to fight malaria and BHM is providing these drugs. We were pleased to realize that for just $5, BHM purchases a complete anti-malarial treatment regime – an incredible investment that can save the life of an expecting mother and her unborn child.
Please take the time to read the complete mission report located here.
Burma Save Soap
Once again, we are offering the renown Burma Save Soap for sale. These wonderfully scented luxurious soaps are a special way to tell your family, friends, co-workers and those in your life how you value them but also your commitment to help those suffering in Burma. One bar of soap costs $6; 4 bars are $20 and 12 are $50. Each bar you buy will help cure a pregnant woman of malaria – saving two lives. To order, please visit out special website at www.burmasavesoap.com
Upcoming BMH Events
In 2010, BHM’s “Run for Burma” teams will take to the streets of San Francisco on July 25th for the marathon, half marathon, 5k and progressive marathon. We are partnering with the Burmese American Democratic Alliance (BADA) in the Bay Area to field a larger team than last year. We will also return to the Marine Corps Marathon and 10k on October 31st. Visit the Run for Burma page to learn how you and your friends can have a reason for your run in 2010!