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Why We Care
May 12, 2008
The Foundation for the People of Burma exists because we care about Burma. Why should you?
- Because we're all connected. All the great religious traditions acknowledge that. We all know it.
- Because Burma's been left out. Since 1962, when the junta took over, Burma has been isolated. Few international aid organizations have been able to work there due to the government's onerous restrictions. Once one of Asia's wealthiest countries, Burma is now one of the world's poorest.
- Because the West has relied on Burmese people and Burmese products. Many of the economic migrants from Burma work in the clothing factories in Thailand. You may be wearing a shirt stitched by a Burmese migrant right now. And that migrant may have lost his or her entire family in this disaster.
- Because the Burmese coastal delta has fed the Western demand for cheap seafood. Mangroves were destroyed in the delta to make way for vast shrimp farms. The cheap shrimp were exported to the Western tourist trade in Thailand. The lack of mangrove protection exposed the delta to the devastation of the tidal wave following the tsunami.
- Because Burma has provided the West with spiritual sustenance. The great foundation of Theravada Buddhism was laid in Burma and continues there. It is from this foundation that Aung San Sui Kyi, Burma's imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner, draws her strength.
- Because we can help. A donation to the Burmese humanitarian relief as small as the cost of a week of premium coffees can save a life.
Consider a donation now.
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