Date: Dec 31 2004
From: US Newswire Fund Established to Help Burma's 'Sea Gypsies', Others Affected by Tsunami SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 31 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The Foundation for the People of Burma (FPB), a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization (nonprofit) today announced the establishment of the Burma Tsunami Relief Fund to assist those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in South Asia. FPB is dedicated to providing humanitarian aid to Burmese people of all ethnic backgrounds and religious beliefs. The Foundation responds to the basic needs of communities, supporting locally run projects in the following general areas: Health, Education, and Leadership Development. FPB has been funding and running programs for the Burmese in Thailand and for those inside Burma since 1999. The foundation urgently requests funds to support those affected by the disaster. The world is focused on the South Asia disaster, and the death tolls from Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and Indonesia are mounting by the hour. Virtually no information or first-hand accounts have come out of Burma, however. Nonetheless, a quick look at any map shows that southern Burma had to be terribly affected by the tsunami. The Burmese islands and coastline around the Andaman Sea are just slightly north of the Thai resort of Phuket, which was devastated. In that area of Burma, a unique and very poor seafaring people known as the Sea Gypsies (Salones, or Moken) have lived simple lives dependent on fishing for centuries. Their lives will certainly never be the same. In November 2004, BPF visited this area to assess some of the needs of these people. Its medical team will be in the affected area next month. With donations from the public, FPB can alleviate some of the suffering that has resulted from this disaster. With enough support, the foundation can help the people there rebuild their communities for a better future. All contributions go directly to alleviate suffering. The low administrative overhead of the foundation is fully funded by private donors. Funds may be sent to: FOUNDATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF BURMA, BURMA TSUNAMI RELIEF FUND, 909 MONTGOMERY STREET, SUITE 500 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133; 415-486-6527 or 415-486-6786 (fax); HTTP://WWW.FOUNDATIONBURMA.ORG IRS EIN: 94-3375666 Checks should be made payable to: Foundation for the People of Burma. Please specify whether the donation is to be used toward the Burma Tsunami Relief Fund or general programs. Donations in the form of cash wires and stock transfers are also welcome. Contact FPB for account instructions. Donations by credit card can be made via the website: http://www.foundationburma.org. (Checks or wires are preferred, however, since there is a small administrative fee charged by JustGive -- http://www.justgive.org/giving/donate.jsp?charityId=10099& -- the nonprofit that processes FPB's online donations.) More information on the foundation is available at FPB's website: http://www.foundationburma.org More Burma News from this Month |
Top of Page
|