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John Margetson writes, when I first arrived in Burma in 1998 I knew this country was special. Rich in beauty and natural resources with land that could produce an infinite variety of crops in abundance; so how was it that the people were some of the poorest in the world. Most suffer from appalling living conditions lacking fresh water, sanitation, simple health care and education and yet they never cease to smile, to be polite and to offer you their last grain of rice. they are truly a beautiful people, who are suffering from more than fifty years of dictatorship, which has seen their standard of living fall to one of the lowest in the world.
A recent UN survey stated that more than 65% of Burmese children were malnourished. It amazes me it isnīt higher. What do they need? - Everything! Firstly a bed, some clothes and a proper meal would be helpful. Thatīs how bad it is, we are back to simple basics.
Where does one start - take a project and make it work for the children, but one is overwhelmed with projects, so you just have to get on with it, where you can be the most help.
I travelled to Burma in 2005 with ten projects to visit and the idea of supporting two. I ended up with six, how can you possibly say 'no' to starving children. Many of the worldīs larger charities are not permitted by the government to work in Burma and therefore it is down to NGOīs (non government organisations) like ourselves to do what we can, but we cannot operate without help.
Love a Child has been very lucky to have received support from many people and organisations in and outside Burma, particularly the British embassy and the previous ambassador Vicky Bowman, whose knowledge of the country (she speaks fluent Burmese) has been absolutely invaluable.
We currently have five projects in Burma, three in the Mandalay area and two south of Rangoon (Yangon). Our child sponsorship scheme is based in Mandalay where we also support a smaller monastic home and school: Some twenty kilometres up the Irrawaddy River we aid a new primary school that has just been started by a young monk in a village where there has never been a school before.
Burmese NGOīs are a band of self help individuals, we all have foundations and charities raising money by different methods, and yet we work and help each other along the way.
With your donations and sponsorship we will be able to help a child survive for another day...
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