【クーデターから1年】ミャンマーで困窮する人々に医療・食糧支援を。

1 year from the Coup: Delivering Support to the need 

 

We belong to a civil society group that is mainly made up of Burmese residents in  Japan. Burmese and Japanese people from various backgrounds, such as medical professionals, researchers, NGO activists, celebrity activists, journalists, and educators, are participating in this project. 

One year has passed since the military coup on February 1, 2021. 

The international community continues to strongly condemn the inhumane crackdown of the armed forces.

Over the past year, more than 1,500 people, including young people and young children, have been killed, more than 10,000 have been imprisoned for innocent charges, and many have lost their homes and jobs and are suffering from poverty.  

 

It is estimated that one-half of the Myanmar population will fall into poverty, and more than 450,000 people are being displaced. 

 

Nevertheless, we continue to resist, encouraging each other that this is our last chance to regain freedom and democracy in our homeland.

（Airstrike in a civilian village） 

 

We, the Burmese people who have left their homeland and live in Japan, receive heartbreaking messages from our families, friends, and colleagues in Myanmar every day. For the past year, we have been desperately doing what we can do even if we are far away, such as street fundraising and demonstration activities. 

Under such circumstances, warm support from Japanese people has always been a big support for us. Thanks to your support, we can deliver food and medicine to Myanmar people who are truly suffering on the ground and convey messages that not only  Myanmar people but also Japanese people are supporting Myanmar.

It was also very encouraging to see that many Japanese people have launched various projects on crowdfunding services, and much support has been delivered to Burmese people. We would like to acknowledge everyone who has supported Myanmar in some way. 

 

（Thank-you campaign in Japan） 

 

One year has passed since then, and now we, the Burmese people in Japan, will take the lead in collecting the voices of support from everyone and delivering them to the sites in need.

 

Who to Support? 
 

We will provide medical and food support to the following people. We will investigate the local needs in advance, determine the situation and urgency based on information from third parties such as residents, and then deliver the best support accordingly. 

 

Beneficiaries： 
・Internally Displaced Persons from airstrikes and arm conflicts 
・Households of the dismissed civil servants 
・Medical workers to continue medical activities while escaping a crackdown 

 

◆ Internally Displaced Persons 

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, approximately 453,000 persons had been internally displaced,  and there were approximately 239,000 refugees in neighboring countries such as Thailand and India. 

Reference：https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/90970

 

The village was burned by airstrikes by the military junta, and villagers need to hide in the mountains and along rivers if they are not accepted as refugees in the neighboring countries.  Living in the evacuation areas for several months is very harsh, and the elderly and children lost their lives during the evacuation due to a lack of food and medicine.

(People escaping from their village)

 

This time, we asked a displaced person about her evacuation life and her current feelings. Although the video includes content that can make you feel uncomfortable, we would like you to know the real situation of the displaced persons. 

* We have paid sufficient attention to the safety and posted it with the permission of the person.

 

A Voice from an IDP

 

◆Dismissed Civil Servants 

Many civil servants in various ministerial sectors who resisted military rule lost their jobs and income. For instance, as of May 2021, 125,000 teachers were suspended. It is not possible to get a new job due to the pressure from the military, and many of them live in hiding.

(Food distribution in a village)

 

◆ Medical Workers 

Medical workers who treat civilians injured by the crackdown are still on the wanted list by the military junta. Thousands of medical professionals are hiding and providing treatment free of charge, but they have not been able to procure the medical equipment and facilities necessary for treatment. 

(Medical workers using an ambulance ）

 

How to Support? 

 

The funds collected in this project will be used for humanitarian support such as food and medical assistance to those in need on the ground. In this project, we will give top priority to the support for IDPs, and we will also support poor households and medical staff by utilizing the existing network. 

Food assistance will be delivered to approximately 1000 evacuees and 200 civil servants,  with roughly one month's worth of food per household. Medical assistance will be used to purchase medical supplies and pay for emergency medical expenses for injured people at refugee camps. Labor cost is free as the project members will be volunteering for this project. 

 

* Project report will be published by the end of December 2022. Due to the nature of emergency support, it may be necessary to change the support patterns according to the needs of the site. Even in that case, we will only use the fund for humanitarian assistance. 

* This project will be carried out by “All-In.” Therefore, even if the total amount of support does not reach the fund goal by the due date, we will execute the project within  2022. 

* If the fund exceeds the original goal, we will expand the scale and provide support. 

 

Who’s In Charge? 

 

This project will be run mainly by the civil society organization, International Society of Myanmar Scholars and Professionals (ISMSP-MM),  in collaboration with the National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG) and the Japan-Myanmar Friendship Association (JMFA). In addition, since the remittance will be to Myanmar where the domestic situation is unstable and the bank is not functioning sufficiently, we will collaborate with the Burma Relief Center Japan (BRCJ) and the Thai NGO, International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), which have a track record of remittance even after the coup d'etat.

The crowdfunding will be transferred to the bank account of BRCJ and sent to each local organization via INEB.

 

 

Collaboration framework

 

International Society of Myanmar Scholars and  Professionals (ISMSP) 

This project is mainly run by ISMSP, a civil society organization composed of Myanmar doctors and IT engineers working in their respective fields around the world. We have a system that can smoothly promote transparent support by utilizing the existing scheme for supporting a total of 1,500 civil servants.  ISMSP members also have a track record of medical support to healthcare providers and mental health support in response to chronic stress situations. 

The entire project, such as the operation of this page, fund management, remittance, and token of appreciation, will be performed by the project team listed at the bottom of the page, with ISMSP as the main body. The actual support activity, such as the selection of beneficiaries and the preparation and distribution of food and medical supplies, will be carried out by each organization.

 

Partner Organizations：

◆ National Unity Government (NUG) 

Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and  Disaster Management 

Ministry of Health

The National Unity Government (NUG) is the legitimate government of Myanmar elected by the people in the 2020 general election. They have provided large-scale support to IDPs through the Ministry of  Health/Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management.  They will also be in charge of IDP support in this project. 

 

◆ Japan Myanmar Friendship Association （JMFA）

The Japan-Myanmar Friendship Association is an international cultural exchange organization established for the purpose of promoting friendship and goodwill between the people of Japan and Myanmar. 

Since the coup, they have provided medical and food support to IDPs, orphanages, and poor households in areas where support is difficult to reach. They will be in charge of IDP support in this project. 

 

◆ Remittance Partner: Burma Relief Center Japan (BRCJ)

It is an NGO that supports Burmese democratization and refugees, which was established in response to the democratization movement that occurred in 1988 and was cracked down by the military. For more than 20 years, BRCJ has supported the people of Myanmar in difficult situations both physically and mentally. After the coup d'etat, BRCJ has formed a partnership with ISMSP, which manages this project, and has provided support for civil servants 18 times until now. In this project, we will use the existing remittance scheme in collaboration with the INEB in Thailand.

 

◆ Remittance Partner: INEB (International Network of Engaged Buddhists)

INEB is an organization founded by Sulak Sivaraksa, a prominent Thai activist and advocate of "Socially engaged Buddhism". INEB has a track record of supporting 25 countries around the world and has provided support to Myanmar for over 20 years. Even after the coup d'etat, it continues to support the local area through its own network and secures multiple reliable remittance routes to the local area. INEB will deliver the support money sent from BRCJ to each local organization.

 

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