Support Backpack Healthworker Teams in Burma

Throughout 2022, the brutal impact of the Burma army’s repression and attacks on the ethnic minorities and civil disobedience movement continued unabated. 560,000 more villagers have been displaced since Feb 2021.

• In June, Burma jet airstrikes in one village killed 10 villagers and wounded 15 more.
• In July, in Karen State, monsoon rains swept over internally displaced person camps, creating endless mud, fouling clean water and disrupting access to food.
• Thai officials will not allow new refugees into Thailand.
• Thousands of villagers live in the most rudimentary conditions
• Many of the ethnic minorities no longer view the Federal government as legitimate.  They refer to them as the “State Administrative Council” or “SAC” and the Army as “SAC Troops”.  The “SAC” reference is part of how the minorities seek to delegitimize the current regime.

For over 7 decades, Burma’s ethnic minorities have endured such oppression.  As part of a community-based response, the ethnic minority groups formed backpack medic teams to care for their own.

•Men and women are recruited from among the villages they will serve.

•Medics undergo a 9-month training program before joining a seasoned team.

•Teams consist of 3-5 medics and travel among 9-12 isolated villages or IDP camps each month.

Backpack Medics focus on three core programs:

• Medical Care Program (MCP) – providing responsive medical care to treat injuries, illnesses and disease.
• Mother-Child Health Program (MCHP) – providing ante-, delivery and post-partum care.
• Community Heath Education and Prevention Program (CHEPP) – provide community education and materials to reduce likelihood of disease and promote healthy environments (via clean water, sanitation, etc).