MoringAid: Superfood for War Refugees in Myanmar

GlobalGiving Report September 2025

A general update on the situation on the Thai/Myanmar Border.

Lost in the news of the world, where genocide in Gaza and the war in Ukraine take the headlines, the Military Coup in Myanmar is about to enter its 5^th year, causing a civil war and the displacement of thousands and thousands of civilians.  Many have headed to the border with Thailand, where either they seek shelter in the jungles on the Myanmar side or silently slip into the refugee camps on the Thai side, that have been in operation for going on 40 years.  The situation is dangerous and has been intractable.

DARE Network has been providing Addiction Worker training, non-medical – culturally appropriate substance abuse treatment and prevention education in the refugee camps, inside Karen State-Myanmar and more recently in our Migrant Worker DARE Centre on the border in Thailand, for 25 years. This year, in its first sweeping action, Donald Trump and the current government of America cut USAID and wiped out all food and healthcare in the refugee camps.  DARE Network has suffered a loss of $100,000USD, because of this cruel and heartless move.

We are diversified in our funding, but this has been a blow.  However, for now, we are forging onward with great effort to seek alternative funding.  Wish us luck with this.

Meanwhile, as the healthcare and food has disappeared from the camps, the Thai Government is finally being forced to pay attention to a long-held request from NGOs and the UNHCR to open the camps so that some people can go out to work to feed their families.  It seems this may go forward but it will take some time, as the Thai bureaucracy is embedded and slow.

At DARE Network, the need for our services continues as the trauma that people have suffered continue to lead them into addiction.  Thanks to all of you for your support to help us, help those, who need and want help.

On Giving Tuesday, December 2025 we hope you all will continue that support.

Thanks, from all of us at DARE Network

Dear Friends

Ukraine and Gaza take up the media space of the world. Flashes of news from Myanmar come to the western view but rarely and incompletely.

This year the people of Myanmar have endured the on-going civil war, with the Military Junta carrying out bombing and ground missions on civilians including women and children.
Many people in Myanmar are homeless, fleeing the fighting and living in the jungles through heat and rain, foraging for food.

This year Myanmar experienced a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, destroying cities, towns and villages throughout the central areas, even reaching into Thailand. People lost their homes and sources of food. International Aid was sent through the Junta but stopped right there as the Junta did not distribute it to those in need but rather kept it for their troops and sold it on the public market. This was to be expected as they also did this after Hurricane Nargis. Meanwhile the Junta declared a temporary ceasefire to manage the earthquake, but it actually never ceased firing and continued its genocide.

Finally, the US Government stopped all International Aid and Development funding, under the direction of Donald Trump halting all health care and food to the refugee camps. People have died and now are at risk of starvation. The refugees are not allowed to leave the camps to work, cannot go back to Myanmar because of the war and the USA Resettlement Program has been rescinded.

For DARE Network, we continue our work on the border but have lost $60,000USD because of Donald Trump’s order and the opportunity to negotiate another round of funding. The future looks very difficult for the refugees from Myanmar. Good news is that GlobalGiving gave us a grant of $5000. to mitigate the situation. Thanks to you who donate to us and to GlobalGiving for your support and compassion. We need your continued concern to help us through this crisis.

The DARE Network Teams