April 9, 2013
Dear Friends,
You may remember that Mark and I met some people in Putao in northern Burma who were trying to help their neighbors by bringing in rice to help feed the hungriest souls. We exchanged email addresses and have kept up correspondence with a man called Simon. Turns out Simon is a Burmese Christian missionary who helps people all over Burma where there is significant hunger and disease, but especially in the area around Putao area in the far north and in the Setwee area in the far west.
We eventually learned that he is affiliated with a Christian organization in Ohio and communicated with them several times to determine if they were legitimate and trustworthy. We wanted to help the people in Putao, but wanted to make sure, as much as possible, that our largesse would be put to the use we wanted and not squandered. Eventually we were satisfied about the organization and about Simon’s willingness and ability to follow through. So in late November, we sent a sizeable check to Ohio and watched the money flow from there to a bank in south-western Thailand, on the border with Burma. There, Simon picked up the money and moved it to a bank in Yangon. We had instructed him to buy a tri-cycle to be used as an ambulance and mosquito-treated bed nets to help people avoid malaria. The bed nets were purchased in Yangon and shipped by train to Myitkyina, the largest town in the north. In Myitkyina, one of his helpers purchased a new tricycle, modified it for better seating and medical purposes and painted it white. Some of the nets traveled by air to Putao, but most were held in Myitkyina along with the tricycle due to the fighting between the Burmese government and the frontier people who want autonomy.
Simon at train station with bed nets
New Tricycle that will be converted into an ambulance for villages in the far north of Burma
Finally, according to Simon, in early March the tricycle and nets were placed in a truck and began the 288 kilometer long journey under police escort with a large contingent of other vehicles. The trip took over two weeks, but at last the nets and tricycle are in Putao and being distributed by Simon’s many helpers to the most needy people in the far flung villages of the north. Simon sent photos of the tricycle and nets when he acquired them. Two of them are here for you to see. Now we are waiting for photos of the delivered goods. Hopefully they will come soon. I will send another post when we have more details.
We feel very good about being able to help change the lives of as least some impoverished people in a mostly unknown place in the world. We have learned that money alone, however, is not the solution. There needs to be a team of people to help carry out the project. Simon and his fellow Burmese Christian missionaries are that team. The process of delivering bed nets is a case in point. Not only do the nets need to be taken to the people in the far flung villages where they live, but they need to be instructed in their purpose and use. So buying a lot of nets was not going to be helpful without transportation to get the nets and the educators to the villages. We ended up buying fewer nets so the tricycle could be purchased for that purpose. Hopefully, long after the nets are distributed, the ambulance will continue to assist people in need.
I wonder who put Simon in our path? It has been quite an Easter experience.
Meanwhile, we wish you a happy, colorful spring,
Julia and Mark
Adventures with Julia 