Burmese Refugee Youth Prevent Addiction & Violence

It is rainy season on the Thai/Burma Border.  Our staff now must not only deliver their programming but do so through very challenging elements.  From the end of April to mid-October it rains and rains and rains.  Monsoon.

Driving conditions become treacherous on the mountain roads.  A trip to Mae Ra Moe refugee camp that normally takes 3 hours, now takes 8 hours…if you don’t get stuck in the mud that is.  Let’s hope the truck doesn’t fall off the mountain.  Some others have.

Inside Karen State, the rivers swell.  Our DARE Team must protect their organic gardens from flooding.  Our centres are all built up to protect from the water rising. The biggest challenge is delivering supplies to our team inside the remote area, where our DARE Centre lies. This year the team and the clients built a mud and rock bridge over the river so that the motor scooters could carry rice from one side to the other.

You can see that they also made a bamboo ferry to take goods and people across the river.

 Of course, all the water brings mosquitoes galore.  Malaria and Dengue Fever and Japanese Encephalitis can pass from person to person bitten by these miniature buzzers of death.  Everyone must take precautions with mosquito nets and now in these modern days, repellent. 

The only thing the rains protect the ethnic people of Burma from is the Burmese Military attacks. That waits for the dry season. Usually.

 Our DARE Staff and Teams are heroes.  They are brave and strong.  Thanks for supporting them.