On 7th June, the Burma Army and proxy forces displaced nearly 4,000 people along the Burma border. They shelled and destroyed multiple villages. A community we have long supported, Ler Ber Her, was completely overrun.

Thanks to the generosity of people like yourselves, our support team in Thailand has been able to provide material aid, oversight of relief operations and have advocated with the authorities on behalf of the people.

Over the past several weeks you have helped us supply hundreds of lbs of food, clothing and survival supplies. Families are warmer, well fed and in better living conditions.

We are currently monitoring the situation of the new refugees. Fighting across the border has ceased, but the Burma Army now controls the area, which is littered with landmines.

Partners staff are working closely with the Thai authorities and other non-government organisations to ensure the refugees have a safe environment to live in and have their basic needs adequately met.

Thank you for partnering with us to demonstrate love to the vulnerable. Your donations really do help those who are in desperate need. Click the link below to send a gift now.

http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.partnersworld.org/countrydonatechoose.html

Comments

One grandmother carried a baby strapped to her back. She walked two days through jungle terrain to Ler Ber Her camp. She had recently lost her village to a military attack.

9 days later when Ler Ber Her was attacked, she fled again. The baby's mother was nowhere to be seen.

She had no choice but to cross the border into Thailand. A Buddhist monestery provided shelter. She spent the latter weeks of June with 800 other displaced women and children. They endured torrential rain and cramped conditions. She cared for the baby. They slept on the cement floor and all around her children laughed, cried and screamed.

In early July, she and the baby had to move again. Twice. Thai authorities had prepared shelter, food, latrines and water tanks in various locations along the border. She now lives in a 50sqft lean-to.

The grandmother wants to go back, but ethnic leaders and Thai authorities have decided it is far too dangerous for anyone to return across the border.

We are carefully monitoring their situation. Please pray as we do our best for them.

Fighting between the Burma Army and resistance groups has ceased in Ler Ber Her. The Burma Army now controls the area and it is littered with landmines.

Comments

The following images are the property of Partners Relief & Development. Please do not use within permission. Thank You.

Comments

“It has probably become more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier in an armed conflict” (Maj. Gen Patrick Cammaert - a former peacekeeper in Darfur)

Rape. It may be a small word, but it has a meaning that carries the power to destroy individuals, families and entire communities. All around the world, rape is used against women as a show of power and control. In Burma, it is also used as a weapon of war.

Just last week the Burma Army, the military force of the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council), began a new offensive along the border in Karen State. Almost 4000 civilians fled for their lives across the Moei River into Thailand creating an extensive emergency crisis. In the days leading up to the attacks, the Burma Army entered villages in the area forcibly recruiting soldiers and porters.

On 12^th June, Naw Pay and Naw Wah Lah chose to stay in their homes rather than try to outrun the Burma Army soldiers heading towards their village, which was a few hours walk from the border. Naw Pay - aged 18, was eight months pregnant and Naw Wah Lah - aged 17, had a six month old baby to care for.  It was a decision with dire consequences. When found by the soldiers they were taken out of their homes and gang raped. Afterwards, both young women and the unborn child were brutally murdered.

Tragically, this is not an isolated case. Over the past few years, a number of women’s groups based in Burma have produced reports documenting the systematic use of rape and sexual violence by the Burma Army against ethnic women and girls. The number of known rape victims, some going back as far as 1995, is just under 1,900.  However, this is only a fraction of the true number as so many women are afraid or unable to speak out about what has happened to them. Sometimes rape is carried out with such extreme brutality that for the victim, death can be the only possible outcome.

The SPDC, although they would deny it, encourage their military to use rape as part of a deliberate strategy to attain and strengthen control within ethnic areas. The horrific sexual assault and deaths of Naw Pay and Naw Wah Lah proves that ethnic women and girls in Burma live under the constant threat of rape during the course of their everyday lives. It could happen at any time – in their homes, whilst working on the farms, going to the market, travelling to school or collecting firewood.

Targeting women- those who are seen as the main carers - can destabilise a community. Rape humiliates and instils fear, which in turn causes distrust and disunity.

In 2008 the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed a resolution that rape and sexual violence used in armed conflict should be classed as a weapon of war and those who perpetrate it can be tried in an international criminal court for crimes against humanity.  

However, words and resolutions mean very little to a regime intent on power at any cost and unless there is real and lasting intervention from the UNSC and the wider international community the SPDC will continue to deny their actions and neglect any obligations to any international conventions they have ratified.

We at Partners know we cannot give the families of Naw Paw and Naw Wah Lah back their daughters, wives, sisters, mothers or grandchild, but we can commit to not allow their deaths to be in vain.

Comments

There are an estimated 800 Burma Army troops, joined by 300 soldiers from their proxy forces spread along approximately 20 - 30km of border region.

Three days ago there was an ambush which reportedly left four Burma Army soldiers deceased and four wounded. This resulted in the Burma Army retreating a short distance. On Thursday there was a second ambush where one Burma soldier died and four were wounded. This has resulted in the Burma Army reinforcing their troops.

Innocent children and families are hungry and at risk. With their home villages destroyed or in peril, the options to escape to safety are limited. Major evacuations are under way.

Yesterday all women and children were evacuated, leaving the older people and men at the camp last night. They plan to move them today. Since the 3rd of June, more than 3,295 villagers have left their villages inside Karen State Burma and travelled to towns inside Tak province in Thailand. The Thai authorities have been very helpful.

These villagers from eleven different internally displaced persons villages were being forced to be porters and human mine sweepers for the Burma Army in preparation of this attack. Many of these families have already fled previous Burma Army attacks.

As recently as last week, Partners' staff assisted 40 families with essential survival materials, such as mosquito nets, blankets, clothes, pots, pans, and bowls. Partners' staff are rapidly working with ethnic leaders to provide critical assistance to the hundreds of families have arrived at the border seeking aid and refuge. Food and medicine are being distributed.

Yesterday, the Partners Mae Sot staff delivered aid and emergency supplies to these villagers. Three four-wheel drive trucks were fully loaded and supplies were delivered to the camp leader.

We were able to give: Two trucks of clothing Medicines for 200 cases of each of the following illnesses: malaria, diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory, wound care, analgesics etc 30 pots 25 large sized tarpaulins 100 bottles of mosquito repellent 15 boxes each containing 100 dried fish 10 boxes each containing 180 individual packs of Ma Ma noodles 5 boxes each containing 96 packs of small shrimp 72 bottles of cooking oil Rolls of plastic sheeting

All of this was brought in torrential rain, which continued for 90% of the journey - usually this journey takes 1 hour 45 minutes, but yesterday took 5 hours. The team prayed with the camp leader and Isaiah 41:10 came to their minds (Don't be afraid for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand)

YOU CAN DONATE TODAY TOWARDS THIS EMERGENCY CRISIS – WE NEED YOUR HELP. PLEASE VISIT : http://www.partnersworld.org.uk/donate.html

Thanks for your ongoing support and prayers.

We will endeavour to update you as soon as we hear news.

Comments

"Last Wednesday I spent the whole day at Suan Dok hospital. The place is a mad house. There is no parking, but it seemed like there were thousands of people there. I went with Chet Win, who has a bad heart and needed a cath procedure to determine if he could have surgery or not. We had to wait in line for the elevator - a line of about 200 waiting people - there were even special police managing the chaos. I was hot, sweaty and late for the appointment. I turned and saw a man of about 80 years old with a trach tube coming out of his throat, so I figured i didn't have too much to complain about. When we got to the lab, we had another 3 hour wait. Finally the procedure was done and Chet Win came to tell me the news. He had the saddest look on his face, big tears in his eyes and choked up he said, "There is nothing they can do. My heart is too bad to have surgery." This means that according to doctors he may only live until the age of 30. He got married just one month ago. My heart broke and I had to choke back my own tears.

We then proceded to the recovery room where although Chet Win recieved skilful nursing care, the attitude towards him as a Karen man was sickening. I eventually took one of the medical staff aside and spoke to her. Itold her that I could not believe that they were treating him in this way and that as he only had a couple of years left to live the least they could do was to treat him with a little respect. As a result of this, our last few hours in the hospital were made even more difficult and I am sure we ended up paying a bigger bill than we should have because of it.

I walked to get my car to pick up Chet Win from the main door.  When I sat inside I just cried. I began to get angry at God as well. Then an image of Jesus came to me. The one of Him on the cross looking at the people and saying, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." I fought those words and in a toddler-like tantrum I told God it wasn't true, because these people DO KNOW what they are doing! And where was He in the midst of this? How could He let injustice and oppression and cruelty keep happening to these people? After my anger and sobs subsided, I composed myself, wiped my eyes dry and put a little smile on my face. And then there was a miracle...

...When I reached the entrance and saw Chet Win, he was beaming! He was so happy and full of life and joy - and he had peace in his eyes. He's a buddhist, but he was praising God and thanking Him for being with him. He told me that if we hadn't been there, and if God hadn't helped him then he would be dead already. Just looking at the peace in his face made me realise that the turmoil and heartache of the day was worth it - and if we had to walk through darker places than that it would be worth it just to see that look of peace and joy on someones face. God had been there all along.

And then I remembered Jesus again. His darkest hour was the days leading up to the cross. They mocked Him, beat him, tore at him with their hands and their words. They condemned an innocent man and killed Him on a cross. it was His darkest hour and most sorrowful time, but then....the stone was rolled away and Jesus is alive!

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for jesus' sake, so that His life maybe revealed in or mortal body." 2 Corinthians 4:8-11

Comments

The first two weeks of the tour have produced little sleep, but have caused a great wave of momentum in bringing Change for Burma! During 19th - 21st January, we met with John Bercow MP, David Drew MP and Lord Alton. All members entertained us hospitibly and took a great interest in the message we had to share. We used this time to explain the need for cross border aid to some of the most vulnerable people inside Eastern Burma. Earlier in the week we also shared this need with the Department of International and Foreign Development (DFID). A Partners programme was introduced to them and we were later informed that the proposal was sent to the charge office in Rangoon and was given to the Secretaruy of State for International Development. We will continue to be a voice stressing this great need.

After our meeting in the offices of Parliament we took a plane to the beautiful island of Jersey. There we were greeted so warmly we nearly didn't want to leave! We lodged in the lovely Chateau Vermont where we later presented to a large group of people in partnership with Side by Side charity and the Jersey Action 4 Burma group. The people were incredibly generously giving a number of cheques on behalf of the people of Jersey. Whilst in Jersey we spoke to classes at Victoria College and De La Salle College. A young student around the age of 13 asked towards the end of the presentation, "How do we let this happen?" I was somewhat taken aback by the question, perhaps this may be the greatest question humanity ever asks. In the end it will be our decision as to what we tolerate, how we let people treat each other and ultimately how we stop what we find so dreadful. If this young man will continue to ask how and why, he may ultimately turn his question into a statement, "We don't HAVE to let this happen".
Wes Robinson

Comments

I landed at Heathrow in the early hours of 5th January to be welcomed with a layer of snow on the ground...and I have to admit that I loved it! One thing I miss the most living in Thailand is the dramatic change of seasons, so I wasn't dissapointed. My colleague Wesley Robinson arrived from the US just last week and since then our feet don't seem to have touched the ground.

The Change for Burma! UK speaking tour officially started yesterday at my home church in Addlestone, Surrey. It was great to be back home sharing information about Partners and Burma as well as more personal news on how my life has been for the past couple of years. It never ceases to amaze me how much the plight of the people of Burma touches people's hearts and we were so encouraged by the response of those who heard what we had to say. It certainly helped us to look forward with excitement for the next few weeks.

Today we were in London, on the first of three days of meetings with MP's, Government offices and other people of influence.

We were so happy to meet and spend some time with Zoya Phan from the Burma Campaign UK, whose father Padoh Mahn Shah was assassinated on the Thai/Burma border last year. She is an amazingly brave and dedicated young woman passionate about her people and their freedom. During our time we were invited to speak at a future meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy for Burma...an exciting prospect indeed.

Our day ended with a meeting with John Bercow MP who has worked on behalf of the people of Burma by raising the situation in questions and debates in Parliament. He was able to offer us some great advice for future meetings as well as putting forward a funding proposal for cross border emergency relief on our behalf to the Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander.

Please do remember us in your prayers over the coming days and weeks as we continue to be a voice for those in Burma who daily face suffering we cannot even begin to imagine. May God bless you.

Comments

Well, 2008 is now behind and I am looking in 2009 with excitement. On Sunday evening I fly home to London for three months..during which time I will be joined by a friend and colleague Wesley Robinson, who has worked as a medic here on the border for the past two summers and is now a member of staff for Partners UK, to undertake the Change for Burma UK Tour 2009. We will be travelling the length and breadth of the UK - from Cumbria to Jersey and from Suffolk to North Wales - visiting churches, schools, universities and focus groups, doing as much as we can to speak out for those in Burma who cannot speak for themselves and to encourage people to take a stand for Burma themselves. We also plan to meet with Foreign Office staff, prominent MP’s and other Burma focussed organisations. For more info visit our website www.uktour2009.info

I will also be speaking at the Burma day of Prayer on 7th March at the Emmanuel Centre, Marsham Street, Westminster.

I hope to see you there!

Comments

"The evening sky was like black velvet sprinkled with gold sparkles. I pulled my hat down over my ears and was thankful for my wool sweater. Holding a cup of hot tea kept my hands warm.

I was deep in Burma's jungle, and it was December 1. All around me, Karen people were welcoming the Christmas month together. The Karen call this night "Sweet December."

We were in a field, and a fire was burning. People who had walked from the villages close by to attend the big event stood close to the flames, enjoying the warmth. Many of them were barefoot; most of them were poorly dressed. Several children around me wore only a ripped t-shirt. I shivered in the cold.

All night they sang Christmas songs. Songs reminding them of the birth of Jesus and the freedom he came to give. A couple of miles away were the Burma Army soldiers. It did not seem to matter on this starlit evening. Or maybe it did. I couldn't tell.

Later all the guests got a present-a bar of soap and sweets for the children. In spite of the cold weather there was warmth in the air. Their celebration was a simple act of gratitude, love and joy.

A country at war. Children with hungry stomachs. Weather that was almost freezing, but no shoes. Diseases that spread faster and got worse because of the cold, but no doctors or medicines. And still, they chose to sing!

The freedom, the warmth, the safety, the wrapped presents and the yummy food that we take for granted, is but a dream for them. But the ability to enjoy small pleasures-a warm fire, songs that have been sung for generations, or even a bar of soap-is something they can teach us a lot about.

I was touched and thankful to be able to celebrate together with a people who have suffered for so many generations. As we celebrate Christmas, remember the 1.5 million people who are hiding in the jungles of Burma-on the run from an enemy who wants them gone- right now. Remember them in your thoughts, prayers, and gatherings."

Comments

Well, the last few weeks have been exceptionally busy here. Every three months we make up a hygiene pack for every child we support – that’s currently nearly 1,300! Each plastic bag contains enough shampoo, soap, toothpaste and toothbrush, washing powder and candles to last three months. After a massive bulk shopping trip we painstakingly pack each individual bag and then ship them out to the camps. It’s a lot of work – packing alone can take up to a week. We are also preparing for our Christmas parties, we hold them every year and each child gets to play games, do crafts and receive a special Christmas gift from us. Again, this takes a lot of time to prepare – imagine wrapping gifts for over a thousand children – it’s no mean feat!

So why do we do it? Wouldn’t it be easier to just send the bulk boxes of shampoo and toothpaste to each hostel? Maybe we could get away without putting on a Christmas party and give one big gift per hostel rather than individual gifts to every child? Well, the reason we do it is simple. We believe each child is individually loved and cared for by God. So we should love and care for them the same. We believe that he knows each child by name and has a plan and purpose for each life. We should treat them the same. Each child we care for has an immeasurable worth in the eyes of God and also in our eyes – and it’s my hope that we always see them that way.

Comments

Since the 21st September the DKBA (Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, who are allies with the Burma Army) have attacked a number of Karen villages inside Burma. The villagers are now not allowed to leave without permission. Villagers are being used as forced labour and minesweepers. So far, four people have stepped on landmines - two have died from their injuries. Over 250 people in surrounding areas have fled to the border near Mae Sot, seeking safety. More are expected to arrive in the next week or so. Partners has been able to immediately supply rice, medicine, knives, cooking pots, mats, blankets, mosquito nets and stoves to those who are in desperate need of help. photo: internally displaced people in Karen State.

One of the villages attacked is home to a good friend of Partners, Na Na. She ran a clinic there which Partners supports. When the DKBA attacked they took all of her medicine and materials. Na Na managed to escape the attack, but because of safety issues, she cannot yet return to her village.

We have also heard confirmed reports that DKBA and Burma Army soldiers are crossing the border into Thailand to carry out attacks on Karen villages. Another good friend of ours, Pastor Edmund, has had to go into hiding with his family because of DKBA presence in their village, which is in Thailand. On the 11th October, the DKBA and Burma Army soldiers burned down the home of a KNLA (Karen National Liberation Army) colonol's home in Thailand and laid landmines nearby. When the Thai army checked out the house, a Thai soldier stepped on the landmine and was killed.

It is a very messy and difficult situation along the border. Please pray for us as we seek to get aid and relief to those who need it most. Also pray that the DKBA and Burma Army soldiers will stop violently attacking innocent Karen people.

The DKBA is a breakaway group of the KNLA. The KNLA is the main Karen resistance army for the Karen and they seek to protect their people. The DKBA has allied itself with the Burma Army, the military wing of the SPDC regime.

Comments

Since I have been working on behalf of the people of Burma I have read countless reports of human rights violations and brutal attacks carried out by the Burma Army – all of which have broken my heart and stirred me into action – but when I recently read the story of Nhkum Hkawn Din I was shocked to my very core, I felt as though I had been punched hard in the stomach.

I want to share Nhkum Hkawn Din's story with you. It will be hard to read, but it needs to be read.*

On 27th July 2008 near Nam Sai village, Kachin State, Nhkum Hkawn Din left her house to take food to her brother who was working in a paddy field on their parent's farm. When her brother returned home later that day not having seen her, the family realised that something was wrong. After searching most of the evening, she was reported missing.

Towards the end of the third day of searching, her clothes and shoes were found alongside the basket she had been carrying to her brother. Her body, naked and mutilated, was finally found only 200 metres away from a Burma Army checkpoint. According to family members she had been gang raped and then further violated with knives. Her skull had been crushed beyond recognition and her facial features obliterated. Her eyes had been gouged out and her throat was cut. She had also been stabbed in the stomach and on her right side. photo: Hkawn Din's body (BCUK)

Local witnesses say that they saw Nhkum Hkawn Din being followed by Burma Army soldiers on her way to the paddy field and that they saw the soldiers, one of who was recognised as a Colonel, leave the area a little later on.

The local army commanders have admitted that one of their lower ranking soldiers, Soe Thu Win, carried out the attack. He was recognised by witnesses during a line-up and later confessed under interrogation. It has been stated that he will be sentenced to 20 years in jail without trial. The Colonel was not interrogated and has since been relocated.

The family have been offered $500 plus some food (1 bag of rice, cooking oil, 5 cans of milk and some sugar) as compensation. There has been no official investigation and once again the Burma Army are getting away with murder. photo: Hkawn Din's family & home

Rape is systematically used as a weapon of war against ethnic minorities in Burma, more than a thousand cases have been documented. There is also a culture of impunity, where no action is taken against soldiers who rape. On June 19th The United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1820 noting that rape and sexual violence can be described as a crime against humanity. Our governments and the UN need to be reminded of once more of the true nature of this brutal and oppressive regime. We want to stand together with those who are calling for Burma’s generals to be taken to the International Criminal Court over the systematic use of rape by the Burmese Army. Please write to your MP, MEP or State Representative and tell them Nhkum Hkawn Din's story – and ask them to help ensure that justice is served and such a thing never happens again.

Martin Luther once said, "The only thing needed for wicked men to prosper is for good men to do nothing".

Nhkum Hkawn Din is one of Burma's voiceless. The story of her life and her tragic death must be told by those whom God has given a voice to. Us.

*Information source = http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk

Comments

It’s hard to believe that a whole year has past since we saw such horrific images coming from inside Burma of the crackdown on monks and other peaceful protestors. On September 26^th last year, Burma army soldiers attacked - beating and killing many. I can personally remember the feeling of dread every time I looked online for news updates. After a few days the international media slowed down it’s reporting, but the military regime increased their efforts to instil even more fear and uncertainty into the lives of the everyday people. Fear is one of the biggest weapons they have. photo: monks praying during demonstrations (AP)

Since the beginning of this month the city of Rangoon has seen police, intelligence officers and armed soldiers once more on the streets, monitoring monasteries, intimidating monks and arresting activists. The Generals have been determined to prevent any public commemoration of the anniversary. And they believe they can continue with this behaviour without international intervention. But what this regime does not seem to understand is that not everyone in the world is like them. It’s not about whether the situation in Burma affects the international community, it is whether the situation in Burma goes against everything that is right and moral and ethical and good. We should not just make a stand if it affects us, we should make a stand simply because it is wrong.

And what is the people’s desire? Well, ask the tens of thousands of refugees living in Thailand, or the 1.5 million displaced people living in the jungles of Burma, or the tens of thousands who last year found their voice and demonstrated throughout all the major cities and who paid an incredibly high price for doing so. Ask the many hundreds of thousands who lost their loved ones and homes during and in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis. Ask them what their desire is. I have had the opportunity to speak to some of these people, and I can tell you now, it certainly is not to see this wicked and brutal regime carry on in power. photo: IDPs hiding in the jungels of Burma (FBR)

Comments

We lifted the bonnet, got out the manual and were still completely clueless. However, the scenery was incredible and we decided that if we had to break down anywhere, this was a great place for it to happen. Ten minutes or so later, Kath had realised we were no longer behind her and had come back to see if we were OK. So instead of two people on the side of the road scratching their heads (and admiring the view), there were now six! We looked again at the manual and I read out the part that talked about the little red light … "If this light comes on, stop the vehicle immediately and call out a Toyota engineer". What chance was there of getting a qualified Toyota engineer out here in the middle of the Death Highway? photo: Looking into the bonnet, even though we don't have a clue!

Just then four OEM truck drove past in the opposite direction. (OEM is the organisation that helps refugees move to a third country). They pulled over on the other side of the road and we were suddenly surrounded by four very confident looking Thai guys. One in particular seemed to know exactly what to do – he opened this, pulled that and twiddled a few things here and there. Then he got into the truck and drove it off down the road. I tried hard not to look too concerned! However, little did I know at the time that this moment was, in fact, the divine providence of God. When the guy drove the truck back to us, he told us that he had fixed the problem and we would get back to Mae Sot without a problem. He then continued to tell us that he has only been working as an OEM driver for a short time, before that he had been a qualified Toyota Engineer! Was that just a coincidence? I think not… photo: The four OEM trucks, our rescuers. 

After paying our new friends for their kindness in Oreos and smiles, we jumped back into the trucks and went on our way home. It struck me as we continued our journey that if we had left the camp just fifteen minutes or so later, we would have missed out meeting those OEM trucks. God had met with us in the most unexpected of places, through a Thai Buddhist ex-Toyota engineer.

Comments

Fungal disease, intestinal worms, possible malaria, high fever…these are just a few of the problems our team were able to help out with these past couple of weeks as we continued with our 2008 CHECK (Child Health & Education for Caregivers & Kids) programme. This week we saw the 300 children at Thoo Mweh Kee School - a migrant school close to the Thai-Burma border which also takes care of approximately 170 children who have no other family in Thailand. Many of the hundreds of thousands of migrant and refugee children in Thailand have been sent over the border by their parents, who believe that it is the only chance for a good education and future for their children. photo: CHECK medic undertaking examination.

Thoo Mweh Kee hostel is funded and supported by Partners, and part of my job is to ensure the children are well taken care of. Part of that care is an annual check-up undertaken by volunteer nurses and medics. God has blessed us with a professional and committed group of people this year – from the UK, Australia and the US – and together we will be travelling up and down the border to our hostels dispensing medicine and making hospital referrals where needed.  photo: CHECK medic treating child with a skin infection.

One such referral was a young man, Saw Htoo Say*, from a hostel in Mae La Camp. He came over from Burma two years ago and has had a recurring boil just behind his left ear for about six years. Throughout this time he has been given antibiotics, which helped for a short time, but the infection never really went away. Two weeks ago I visited him with Wes Robinson, a Partners volunteer nurse from Indiana, and Saw Htoo Say was once again in quite acute pain. Wes diagnosed possible Mastoiditis – a severe bone infection, which if left untreated can spread to the brain.  We decided enough was enough and within a few minutes, with a little help from some friends and by the grace of God, we managed to get him a day's leave from the camp to visit the hospital in Mae Sot. After a few hours wait he was able to see the ear, nose and throat specialist who confirmed it was indeed Mastoiditis and prescribed the much needed medicine and booked a follow-up appointment in a few weeks.  photo: Ministry programme undertaken by CHECK staff

As a Christian I believe in a God who heals miraculously. And I believe one way that he does that is through the gifts and skills of trained medics willing to give freely of their time and knowledge to help others. I believe what happened for Saw Htoo Say (and for the many hundred other children who have received medicine from us these past few weeks) was nothing short of a miracle. Praise God. photo: CHECK medics undertaking examinations.

*name changed. 

Comments