Hunger Myanmar Project #30513

Burmese Refugees: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

by DARE Network (Drug and Alcohol Recovery and Education Network)

Summary

For over 30 years the refugees in camps on the Thai/Burma Border have eked out an existence. A whole generation has been lost to these camps because of the brutal campaigns of ethnic cleansing by the Myanmar Military regime. DARE Network finds its Addiction Treatment Centres in the refugee camps filled to capacity and beyond. We are now in need of more food for our clients, as our food budget is depleted. Our fearless dedicated staff need their meagre stipends to survive and work for others

$40,000
total goal

$18,733
remaining

147
donors

4
monthly donors

1
fundraiser

2
years

Challenge

The Myanmar government has done little to make conditions safe for the return home of the refugees. Military troops remain in the areas of the refugees' homeland, despite a ceasefire. Rather than withdraw from the area, the military are entrenched. There are still landmines everywhere. People have no land to return to. It makes the prospect of the return unlikely, despite all the talk of it. And yet the refugee camps have become a dire place to stay, with addiction & suicide rates soaring.

Solution

DARE Network remains on the ground to help people find ways to manage their lives in the face of all these difficulties, without abusing drugs and alcohol and by preventing young people from starting. It is daunting as more and more people succumb to their feelings of desperation and hopelessness. Because DARE Network Addiction staff are also refugees extensively trained to help their communities, they only need enough resources to continue their effective and courageous work.

Long-Term Impact

The greatest effect at this time is the fact that DARE Network is embedded in the refugee communities. When and if, they can return to their homeland, we will go with them, offering our workers job security and suffering addicts relief. We need to bridge the gap between the rock and the hard place. We appreciate your continued support to the well-being of the displaced ethnic people in camps, on the Thai/Burma Border. It is now more important than ever. Thank you so much for your help.