Thailand, just east of Myanmar, has been a primary refuge for those fleeing the violence in Myanmar. According to the UNHCR, 90,000 Burmese refugees currently live in Thailand. Nine closed camps opened in the 1980’s, and some of the refugees have been confined there for more than twenty years. The Thailand Burmese Border Consortium reports that an estimated 450,000 Burmese nationals are currently displaced along the east and south border. The refugees (IDPs, or Internally Displaced People) live in terrible poverty and often have little or no access to medical care.
Free Burma Rangers is a non-governmental organization (NGO) that works to document the refugee situation and alleviate the sufferings of Burmese IDPs. Sonia and I will be teaching HBB (Helping Babies Breathe) to a group of Burmese medics being trained by Free Burma Rangers. The Huffington Post had a great article (with great photos) recently on the Jungle School of Medicine. The mission of the school is to train indigenous health workers to provide world-class health care to themselves. I am so honored to be a part of their work.
Learning As We Go 