The Foundation for the People of Burma

The Buddhist Channel, May 26, 2008

San Francisco, USA -- Since day two of the disaster, the FOUNDATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF BURMA has been on the ground delivering relief to the poor, the newly homeless, the children, the elderly and all those trying to rebuild their lives.

The FOUNDATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF BURMA has mobilized its network of over 300 Burmese staff and volunteers in the most hard hit areas, and is now reaching over 70,000 people with hundreds of thousands of dollars of medical supplies, food, sanitation and rebuilding assistance.

With heroic perseverance, the staff surmounts daunting obstacles to their work on a daily basis. Maung Lay, a student volunteer, drove a truck full of rice to 3 villages that had almost no food for 2 weeks.

The military roadblock stopped him to confiscate the food. Maung Lay looked directly at the young soldiers and replied, "You will have to kill me first." They let him pass and the food got through.

Despite military harassment, threat of disease, and challenging logistics, the local foundation network has brought life saving relief and begun the rebuilding and replanting process in numerous delta villages.

The FOUNDATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF BURMA is the largest U.S. public charity focused exclusively on humanitarian needs in Burma. Established in 1999, it had developed a sturdy and agile infrastructure on the ground in Burma long before this emergency. As huge international aid organizations continue to negotiate with the junta for access, THE FOUNDATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF BURMA is already on the ground and providing effective relief. The problems are critical. The time to help is now.

Because the needs are enormous, the foundation needs as much money and support as possible to help in this crisis. As it has almost no overhead costs, the foundation offers a direct way to get your help to thousands of children, the hungry and the sick. It is through the care and generosity of all donors that these Burmese people will survive.

To donate: Go to www.FoundationBurma.org.

Supporters of the FOUNDATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF BURMA:

Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg
Founders, Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Center

Robert Thurman, President Tibet House and Professor Columbia University
Nena Thurman, Co-founder Tibet House

Ram Dass

Alan Senauke, Berkeley Zen Center, Clear View Project

Sylvia Boorstein, Spirit Rock Center

Gail Seneca, Board Member, Foundation for the People of Burma

MERCY
Myanmar Emergency Relief for Cyclone Disaster
Special coverage by the Buddhist Channel

New! Download Burma's Disaster Report

Prepared by
ALTSEAN-BURMA
Alternative Asean Network on Burma
campaigns, advocacy and capacity-building for human rights
(www.altasean.org)

Myanmar Cyclone Disaster Fast Facts

Toll as at May 9, 2008

Dead (official) 22,464
Missing (official) 41,054
Dead (US estimate) 100,000 plus
Homeless (UN estimate) 1 million- plus

International contributors

UNITED KINGDOM
$10 million
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
$3 million
UNITED STATES $3 million
AUSTRALIA $2.8 million
NORWAY
$2 million in aid.
CANADA $2 million
INDONESIA $1 million
SPAIN $775,000
GERMANY $775,000
CHINA $500,000
NEW ZEALAND
$394,000
FRANCE $320,000
GREECE $300,000
JAPAN $267,570
SINGAPORE $200,000
THAILAND $100,000
SOUTH KOREA
$2.1 million
CZECH REPUBLIC $165,000
SRI LANKA $25,000

Thank you for your support!
Donations received
Jan 1 - Mar 12, 2008

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