Solar Power and Regenerative Agriculture in Burma

           In my last report, I described the difficult situation that Burma is facing after the military coup, which took place on February 1^st this year. Fortunately, the direct targeting of protesters by military sharp shooters has ended, but the country is now closer to civil war than ever before. There are regular firefights between resisters and the military and various ethnic militias are now becoming involved. The country is in a downward spiral and no-one knows where it will end.

            On top of this, the Delta variant of Covid 19 is sweeping through Burma and there are no vaccines available for the civilian population. With everyone caught up in the consequences of the coup and struggling to make ends meet, proper Covid protocols, such as masks and distancing, have been forgotten. The hospitals are full to bursting and the military has requisitioned the country’s entire supply of oxygen.

We can only hope for a peaceful resolution to the coup situation and an end to the pandemic, as soon as possible.

            One bright moment, in response to my above-mentioned report was that we received an anonymous donation of $5,000, shortly after the report was posted on the GlobalGiving site. With the Board of Directors’ approval, we sent the $5,000 to Burma to be divided between 10 individuals and organizations, who were capable of executing Renewable Energy and Regenerative Agriculture projects, with additional goal of providing emergency aid to displaced communities.

            For security reasons, I will not be posting names or detailed locations with the accompanying photographs. Here are photos from the first two projects. The first project was to distribute 21 solar lanterns, which have 5 modes of operation: phone charger + 3 LED lights + radio + USB + stick and touch lights. The second project was to distribute food and clothes to people who had to flee their villages due to fighting.

            We thank you and our anonymous donor, for helping us maintain our support for the people of Burma. In the big picture, these are small gifts, but for the individual families, they are very important items in their time of need.